


You're Better Than My Morning Coffee

by SquemonWrites



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Aftermath, Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of revolution, All he wants is coffee, Android, Android crime, Angry Gavin Reed, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Gavin Reed, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Cat Owner Gavin Reed, Chloe is a Deviant, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Crime, Crime mysteries, Detectives, Detroit, Detroit Police Department (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Original Chloe | RT600, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Deviants, Deviants are still a problem, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gavin and RK900 live together, Gavin and RK900 need to hug each other, Gavin can't handle RK900 getting hurt, Gavin is a sad and angsty child, Gavin is over-protective, Gavin is short, Gay Gavin Reed, Gun Violence, Hank Anderson and Connor Live Together, Humor, Hurt, Hurt Gavin Reed, Hurt Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hurt/Comfort, I will add more tags as I go, I'm Bad At Tagging, Insults, M/M, Mentioned Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Minor Original Character(s), Misunderstandings, Nines is a smartass, OCs - Freeform, Original Character(s), Pain, Police, Protective Gavin Reed, Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, RK900 angst, RK900 gets kidnapped, RK900 goes as Nines, RK900 is an asshole at some points, RK900 is over-protective, RK900 just wants to protect Gavin, Sharing a Bed, Shitpost content probably, Slow Burn, Swearing, Tin Can, Torture, Trauma, Traumatic scenes, Upgrade Connor | RK900 Needs a Hug, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Being An Asshole, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has Feelings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Is Bad at Feelings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Whump, Upgraded Connor | RK900 is In Denial About Deviancy, Violence, Whump, Work In Progress, angst man, broken machine, cases, chaotic gays, deviant, deviants feel pain, gavin reed is gay, reed900, some side characters - Freeform, uhhhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:24:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquemonWrites/pseuds/SquemonWrites
Summary: It wasn't surprising that after the revolution, there was still tension between Androids and humans, It was to be expected that some people still were unwilling to accept Androids as a new life form. The two sides still felt some resentment toward each other, though things were beginning to calm down, and slowly society was becoming blended with Androids more and more.Gavin Reed, the top detective of the Detroit Police Department was assigned a new case, but he didn't expect that we would be getting a new partner.Who just so happened to be an Android.





	1. A new what?!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy the new story! It is also on Wattpad under the same name and username if you prefer to read it there!
> 
> EDIT: I did edit the first 3 chapters, so you might have to go back to understand the changes lol (04/23/19)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin is introduced to his new partner, Colin, an RK900 model. He learns that the Android shares a great variety of differences with it's previous RK800 "sibling", Connor.

A month.  
A month had passed since the Androids won the revolution.  
It was now nearing the end of January. The snow was ceasing to fall, and the first signs of spring were starting to show.  
Things had started quieting down a fair amount, given the fact that, with much discussion, arrangements were being made to start giving Androids the rights they deserved.

Even so, many people weren't very happy with the deviating of their own Androids. Some were still trying to protest with the government about giving the beings human kind created free rights.  
That being said, it was still a busy time in the police department. Everyone was jammed with new work and investigations. Gavin Reed had just recently completed an investigation of his own, and was now awaiting new instruction to come in. He knew it wouldn't be long based off of the activities recently.

Of course, he was correct.

* * *

 

It was 6:34 A.M.  
Gavin was relaxing in the break room when his name was suddenly called out by nobody other than Captain Fowler.  
"REED, MY OFFICE. NOW."  
Grumbling to himself, the prickly male got up and made his way to Fowler's office, wondering what the man had in store for him this time.  
Gavin thought it was going to be any other ordinary case, but he was mistaken.  
It was when Gavin raised his eyes to survey the room as he walked in, that was when he saw _it._  
An A _ndroid_.  
Gavin's already existing scowl deepened.  
"Do you mind telling me what this piece of plastic is doing here?"  
"Sit down, Gavin." Fowler commanded, obviously in no mood to have any argument.  
Gavin obeyed, letting out an irked huff of breath as he sat down.

"You've just been assigned a new case." Fowler said. "It's a case that is fairly difficult in a sense, which is half the reason I'm assigning it to you. I know if there's anyone in the apartment who can solve it, it's you."  
"Okay," Gavin said flatly. "But why is _that_ here?"  
"We found it in an area of the CyberLife tower. They said that though they stopped the production of the RK series, they had a few models of this one. Because of the difficulty of the case, and its many components, I agreed to take in this Android and assign it to be your partner. It will aid you in your investigation."  
Gavin knew it was coming, but that still didn't stop him from lashing out.  
"What? Why?! I am perfectly capable of doing the investigation alone! I don't need any plastic pricks to get in my way!"  
"This is not a negotiation, Reed! You will be working with the Android, whether you like it or not!"  
Gavin let out a frustrated growl, ripping the file Fowler was handing to him out of the man's hands.  
"Son of a bitch," Gavin spat, storming out angrily, slurring curses as exited.

Gavin plopped angrily down in his chair, throwing the file onto the desk in anger.  
"Hello, Detective Reed. I am RK900 or Nines, sent by CyberLife."  
_No real name?_  
Gavin glared at the new voice, which, of course, was coming from nobody other than that fucking plastic prick.

Looking at him, Gavin realized the Android resembled Connor in a way. Though that was true, the Android possessed sharper features. A sharper nose, more defined jawline, and icy blue eyes. The outfit was different, too, but overall the Android had a similar hairstyle and was, of course, _clearly_ apart of the RK series.

What Fowler said was true.  
Ever since the revolution, Cyberlife had shut down the production of the RK-models, because they possessed the ability to convert other Androids, like Markus and Connor did.  
So why, _why_ was this one here now?  
Why didn't they destroy it?

Not wanting to ask, Gavin let out a disapproving huff.  
"I don't give a shit."  
The Android wasn't fazed by Gavin's dismissive attitude.  
"I feel it's important for you to know the basic information about your partner, Detective, whether you want to or not."  
"Who gave you that sad name of fucking _Nines_? They run out of ideas?"  
"No," The Android replied in a cool tone. "Connor assigned the name to me after activating me."

Okay, so there was a difference between this RK900 model and Connor's model. This Android had a different, less innocent vibe to him, Gavin could already tell. His voice was slightly lower than Connor's, and also more refined. Definitely more direct, too.

The Android sat down on the chair opposite to Gavin before Gavin could let out another snarky remark, and grabbed the case report. He removed the paperclip that was keeping the files neat and in order and began examining what they were dealing with.  
"Hey tin-can," Gavin sneered. "Get me a cup of coffee."

Of course.  
Connor, the RK800 Nines was originally supposed to replace warned him that Gavin would probably ask him that.  
It was probably in some way supposed to test him. Find an excuse to "teach him a lesson" about mindless obedience.

RK900 barely spared Gavin a glance.

"Detective, I was not designed to be your servant. I am supposed to be working on a case. You are perfectly capable of getting up and getting it yourself, since you are currently not doing any work."  
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Gavin hissed, standing up in his chair.  
"You fucking piece of plastic-"  
As Gavin went to swing a punch at Nines, but the Android simply blocked it with his arm before grabbing the detective's wrist, bringing his arm down against the table.  
"What the fu-!?"  
Gavin tried to rip his wrist from the Android's tight grasp, but utterly failed.  
"You're acting childish," RK900 growled. He then grabbed Gavin's hood and brought it over his head, then let go, leaving Gavin to reorganize himself.  
Gavin seemed fairly baffled and disoriented at such sudden actions, which nearly caused the Android to chuckle.  
He seemed to decide against it, knowing it would be highly inappropriate in the situation they were in.  
"Shall we continue, Detective?"  
"Fuck you," Gavin spat, but said nothing further.  
Nines sighed, and began to explain the situation.  
"A woman, a mother, came in this morning reporting that both her daughters and her Android went missing yesterday around noon."  
Gavin nearly laughed.  
"And people still want to let these damn machines have rights."  
Nines ignored the comment. "It isn't confirmed whether or not the Android is responsible for the disappearance of her children."  
Gavin grunted, rolling his eyes.  
"They are always responsible for everything."  
The Android seemed like it was debating on whether or not to make a comment.  
"Detective... not all Androids are bad," he said in a rather defensive tone.  
Yet again, another grunt of dismissal, which caused RK900 to let out a sigh, before standing.  
"We should go investigate the house and also question the mother, Carol, about her Android."  
The detective gave a slight shrug, before getting up, wanting to get out of the station.  
"Let's go then, you fucking prick."  
With that, RK900 grinned.

The two made their way to the parking lot, and Nines looked around.  
"Do you have a car, Detective?"  
The response was a sly grin, and the man pulled out a pair of keys.  
Motorcycle keys.  
"Not today," he said, walking over to a motorcycle and hopping on.  
"What?" He said, looking over at Nines, who was hesitating.  
"Are you _scared_?"  
The Android's LED spun yellow, then back to blue.  
"I'm not afraid, Detective. I'm just skeptical whether this is the most ideal and safest way of transport."  
"Well we are taking the motorcycle, whether you like it or not. If you don't want to ride it, then don't come. But you'll need to move out of my fucking way."  
The Android hesitated a second more, before climbing on. His investigation was of upmost importance. He had to do whatever he had to do to get by.  
"Okay," Gavin snorted. "Hold on tight, I tend to go fast." He then tacked on with a mutter, "I don't want to pay for any damaged equipment."  
Nines did what he was told, arms snaking around Gavin's torso. Gavin tensed at the movement, even though he had advised the action.  
"Fucking Androids," Gavin growled, before starting up the motorcycle and speeding off.

The ride was fast, RK900 had to admit, but he felt a strange surge of... energy as they drove. He read Gavin's stress levels subconsciously, wanting to learn more about Gavin's likes and dislikes.

> _**Stress levels: 20%** _ _**↓** _

So, Gavin must like motorcycles, Nines analyzed. He made the mental note, then continued to look around at the city, which was slowly starting to fade into the countryside.

It was peaceful.  
The Android found he liked the quiet compared to the hustle of the city.  
As they drove, they passed farms with different animals and crops. There was a sweet, country smell to the area, something the robot couldn't exactly place. It seemed like a faded memory of the summer that was hidden under the new, crisp spring air, but still present as they drove down the countryside.  
Either way, he found himself enjoying himself, and subconsciously tightened his grip on Gavin.

* * *

 

The two pulled up to a large house on a fairly large property, which was obviously at least 10 acres or more of land.  
Gavin remove his helmet and climbed off the vehicle, followed by the Android.  
"Your hair is a mess," Gavin sneered, though it didn't really have any bite to it. It was more teasing than anything.  
Nines looked in the mirror of the motorcycle, quickly brushing his fingers through it to fix it the best he could, the narcissist.

RK900 followed the detective up the pebble driveway and up the steps to a large porch where children's items were strewn around.  
Shoes, toys, and other miscellaneous items were spewed around the porch and grass out front, obvious signs that children inhabited the house.  
"What's the daughter's names?" Gavin asked with a yawn.  
"Emily and Sarah," The Android answered, coming forward and ringing the doorbell.  
Inside, Colin could detect a voice.  
" _Coming!_ "  
There was some shuffling, then the door opened.  
Immediately the RK900 scanned the female to check identity.

> **WOOD, CAROL**  
>  _**Born: 05/17/2005// Hair Stylist**_  
>  _**Age: 33**_  
>  _**Criminal record: none**_  
>  _**Height: 5'5" - Weight: 168 lbs.**_
> 
> _**Checking condition...** _
> 
> _**...** _
> 
> _**...** _
> 
> **Stress levels: 47%** **↑**

"Hello, I am RK900, or Nines. I was sent here on the behalf of the Detroit Police Department with Detective Gavin Reed to discuss your call about your missing children and Android. May we come in?"  
The woman looked relieved, nodding and stepping aside.  
"Of course, of course. Come on in and sit over on the couch. Do you need anything? Coffee? Tea?"  
Gavin perked up. "Coffee would be wonderful, thank you."

The two entered the house, looking around. The room was massive, with big glass windows and bright skylights.  
Gavin sat down on the couch, making himself comfortable. The Android stood for a moment, before deciding to sit down as well, folding his arms in his lap as he waited.  
"Nice place," Gavin commented, then snorted, "God, the pleasures of being rich."  
"I'm sorry I wasn't expecting you to come so quickly-" Carol was rambling as she brought over a cup of steaming hot coffee.  
"Here," she set the coffee down on the coffee table, sitting down in an armchair across from the two.

"Mrs. Carol," RK900 began. "You called this morning about the disappearance of your children and Android, is that correct?"  
"Yes," she nodded.  
"But you said that they disappeared yesterday afternoon? Why call so late?"  
She nodded in confirmation. "I wasn't home since 11:00 A.M. yesterday. I got home very early this morning, around 5:30. I noticed that my android, an RT600 model, was not in the house, and then realized the two girls were gone. I checked the security footage in the house and outside, and it showed the three going outside to the field around 1:05 PM. They didn't come back."  
Nines noted all the information, determining his next approach.  
"An RT600... Is your Android a deviant?"  
Carol nodded. "Yes, she deviated a while back, but it was out of care for the kids. Ever since then she's stayed with us, even with the freedom Androids have now."  
"RT600 models are known to be very loyal, I'm not surprised. And I also feel that because of that nature, the Android definitely wouldn't have any intention of harming your kids."  
"That's what I thought, too. She's super close to my children, I can't imagine her having any bad intents," The mother agreed.  
"What's her name?" Gavin asked, sipping his coffee.  
"Clove."  
"Do you mind if we take a look around, Mrs. Wood?"  
"Not at all. You can go anywhere as long as it helps get my daughters home safely. The back door leads to the field where they went out."  
The Android nodded, before looking around.  
"Where can I view security footage?"  
"On my computer. Here, I'll take you the office."

Gavin followed closely behind the two as they made their way into the office, and Carol unlocked the computer, the security footage already pulled up.  
"Here you go," she said.  
The Android nodded, taking a seat.  
"I am going to go wake up my son, Zach."  
"Good idea, I might ask him a few things later," Nines told her.

When Carol went out, Nines allowed for his synthetic skin on his hand to disappear, revealing the plastic underneath.  
"Woah, woah, woah, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gavin said, gripping the Android's hand.  
Nines looked Gavin straight in the eye.  
"I would like to download all existing data from the past three days to see if I can find any clues."  
Gavin let out a _tch_ , but said nothing else, letting go of the Android's arm.  
Taking that as an OK, the Android connected to the computer and downloaded the data.

> _**ANALYZING DATA...**_  
>  _**...**_
> 
> _**...** _
> 
> _**...**_  
>  _**ANALYSIS COMPLETE.**_

RK900 opened his eyes again, typing away at the keyboard and switching to the back door cameras, which showed footage from their leave for the field.  
"The girls obviously were going without force. They voluntarily went out. And the Android isn't distressed, it looks like."  
"Alright, smart-ass," Gavin said in a salty tone. "What are you proposing?"  
"My guess is that they were kidnapped by someone else. Zach, Mrs. Wood's son, left only ten minutes before they went out. It might be a good idea to question him."  
Gavin gave the Android a look.  
"You think her own son is responsible for the three's disappearance?"  
The answer was through a shrug.  
Gavin let out a snort. "I can't believe I'm listening to a fucking toaster. Okay, let's go talk to this son of a bitch then."  
"I advise you to keep your language to a minimum, Detective," Nines said as he stood up from his seat.  
Gavin simply flipped the Android off and stalked out of the office.

Carol was making Zach breakfast when they came out. Out of instinct, RK900 analyzed the teen.

> **WOOD, ZACH**  
>  _**Born: 08/07/2021// Minor**_  
>  _**Age: 17**_  
>  _**Criminal record: none**_  
>  _**Height: 5'8" - Weight: 138 lbs.**_

_No criminal record_ , the robot thought to himself. He knew it was hard to believe the girl's brother would in any way harm them, but he had to look at every aspect.  
"Good morning, Zach," The RK900 greeted simply. "I am RK900, but you can call me Nines."  
"Mornin'" he replied, taking a bite of his French toast.  
Taking that as a friendly sign, the Android clasped his hands together.  
"If you don't mind, I would like to ask you some questions about the disappearance of your siblings."  
The boy nodded, a concerned look in his eye.  
"Zach, looking at security footage, you left the house before the three went out, is this correct?"  
"Yeah," Zach confirmed.  
"Where were you going?" Gavin stepped in, leaning against the wall.  
"I was headed over to my friend's house for the day and ended up staying the night there. I came back to the house for only about two minutes around 7:00 to get some things before I left again."  
Nines looked down in thought, eyebrows furrowed.  
"Did it ever occur to you that the house was completely empty when you visited?"  
"Not really," Zach replied honestly. "I was too caught up in the rush to get my things that I didn't really think about it. I guess I assumed they were downstairs in the rec room. But thinking of it now, Clove didn't greet me at the door like usual. She's supposed to check who enters the house, even if we unlock the door on our own. It's a security precaution."  
The Android nodded, knowing the basic protocols of household Androids.  
"Okay. Did you exchange any conversation with any of the three before leaving the house originally?"  
"No-wait-yes. Yes, I did. Sarah told me they were going out to play in the field, and asked where the soccer ball was."  
"Anything else?" Gavin asked, head tilted ever so slightly.  
"Nope," he shrugged. "I saw them going out and then I left."  
Gavin nodded, shooting RK an, " _I told you so"_ sort of look.  
The Android shrugged it off.  
"Okay. Thank you for the information."  
"Of course. All I want is to have my sisters back."  
"And we will find them," Nines reassured.  
The Android turned back to Gavin.  
"We should take a look around outside."

* * *

 

There was a faint breeze as the Android and detective walked outside through the back door.  
Looking down to find tracks, Nines was unsuccessful, and decided to go in the general direction they were told the three went.  
"Hey tin-can," Gavin said, pointing up ahead.  
"I think that could be a clue."  
Following where Gavin was pointing, Nines saw an oak tree that had a swing on it. Beside it there was a blanket set up for an apparent picnic.  
"That's one place to start."

Gavin made his way up the gentle slope to the tree and took a look around.  
"It seems like they were just planning to spend some time outside," he mused, picking up a book, _The Secret Life of Bees._  
"At least the kids are still reading paperback," Gavin huffed.  
The RK900 looked around, analyzing the area.

It was... completely normal.

He continued looking around, in the tree, the perimeter...  
"Nothing," he announced, rather frustrated.  
Gavin had come to that conclusion several moments ago, swinging back and forth on the wooden seat of the swing like a child.  
"That's what I thought, smart-ass."  
"It doesn't make sense," Nines said, pacing.  
"They come out to enjoy themselves. There's no sign of struggle anywhere..."  
He looked around again, seeing the same ball pump he looked at a few times.

Then something clicked.

"Zach said that the girls took a soccer ball out, right?"  
"Yeah..." Gavin said slowly, and it seemed he was picking up on what the Android was thinking.  
"We need to find it. It might be a good clue."  
"No shit," Gavin huffed.  
"I will check over here, where the grass gets longer," RK said, pointing northeast.  
Gavin let out a small huff of breath, but didn't say anything.

Nines turned and set out into the lush, overgrown grass, blinking in slight surprise as a butterfly flew past his face. He followed several trails of trampled grass, trying to find one that lead to a clue.  
All of the trails lead nowhere, and Nines was about to give up but then he saw something out of the ordinary.  
The Android kneeled down, seeing a spot of red in the grass. He placed his finger on the blood spot, and though it was dry, he still got some of it on his finger.

> _**CONNECTING 13%**_  
>  _**...**_  
>  _**SYNC IN PROGRESS 33%**_  
>  _**...**_  
>  _**SYNC DONE 66%**_  
>  _**...**_  
>  _**COLLECTING DATA 83%**_  
>  _**...**_  
>  _**PROCESSING DATA 100%**_
> 
> _**DRIED BLOOD**_  
>  _**DNA Analysis: WOOD, EMILY**_  
>  _**Sample Date: > 6 hours, 6 minutes**_

So that was a clue.  
The trace lead back to the previous day around 2:47 P.M.

"Detective Reed!" Nines called, looking over his shoulder.  
"What!?" Gavin's voice could be heard.  
"I've found something!"

There was the trace of muttering coming from Gavin as he trudged through the tall grass toward the Android, face showing obvious signs of displeasure as he swatted bugs away.  
"Okay, I've come all the way over here. What is it?"  
The Android crouched down, gently grabbing the bunch of grass that possessed the traces of blood.  
"It's Emily's blood from about six hours ago."  
"Dear God, how did you find that? It's like finding a needle in a goddamn haystack around here."  
"I was following some trails where the grass was broken or trampled on. I somehow stumbled across it."  
"Shit," Gavin cursed in disbelief, before looking at the Android, his sharp gaze narrowing.  
"Well what are you waiting for? Try to find a damn trail!"  
RK900 stood there for a moment, wondering whether or not to comment on Gavin's rude behavior.  
Though he didn't particularly like Gavin's remarks, he didn't want to cause any more tension than what was already present.  
So without further commentary, the Android turned around and began scanning the area for what seemed like the hundredth time.  
It was easier this time now that he had found one spot of blood. It took no time to come to another spot of blood farther up.  
When analyzed, the results came back the same as before.  
Nines stood, looking around again.  
"Hey dipshit!" Gavin called over just a few seconds after.  
"Yes, Detective?" Nines replied.  
"You might want to come look at this," Gavin said, and the Android made his way over to stand where Gavin stood, pointing.  
"Look."

There was a soccer ball.

More specifically, _the_ soccer ball the girls had taken out with them. It was located at the bottom of the small slope, sitting in a puddle of mud.  
The mud, Nines realized, lead to a stream, which on the other side, about 120 yards away, was a road.

The two looked at each other, and without a single word, Nines was sliding down the muddy slope and onto the bank of the small stream. He walked over to the ball, analyzing it.

It had finger prints and blood marks on it, obviously being carried by Emily.

 _Was she trying to leave a trail?_ RK900 wondered as he crouched beside the evidence. The mud around the ball was disrupted, as if Emily had fallen on the way down.  
"Well?" Gavin asked, carefully making his way down the slope in contrast to RK's more reckless manner.  
"It's Emily's ball, that's for certain. Her fingerprints and blood are on it."  
"Anything on the kidnapper?"  
Nines shook his head.  
"Nothing."  
" _Phck_."

Nines surveyed the ground, quickly finding the footprints in the muddy ground.  
There were four sets of them, all different sizes. He could only guess that they belonged to the kidnapper, the two girls, and the Android.  
He followed the path, wading through the chilled stream to the other side where he found a branch, coated with blue blood.

Nines reconstructed the situation once he figured out it was Carol's Android.

The kidnapper must have taken them down the slope, Emily falling as they went down. She stuck the ball in the mud, before being pulled up by the kidnapper and forced into walking. They crossed the river, and then Clove cut herself on a branch in the process.

RK900 followed the new blue blood trail, but found himself stopping at the dirt road.  
"Shit," he growled, looking, trying to find any other clues.  
Tire tracks?  
No, just the dusty footprints, but even then, following those tracks just lead Nines to the main road, which was all asphalt.  
The Android paced, trying to think of anything that could lead them on farther.  
He couldn't have lost them. Not when they were this close!  
Gavin caught up with the machine as he did so, spitting out curses about his cold, drenched pants.  
"Did you lose them?" Gavin asked, seeing the Android's frustration.  
"The trail stops here. They probably got in a car and drove off." RK900 said bluntly. There was disappointment in his voice.  
Gavin huffed out another _"phck"_ before bringing a hand to card through his hair.  
"Okay. Okay, well we've got a lot of evidence so far. Let's go back and regroup at the station. I'll call for more backup to mark the evidence."  
There was hesitation.  
A burn for the need to keep going. Gavin couldn't blame him, it was what he was designed to do.  
"Okay?" He pressed, stepping forward ever so slightly and trying to catch the troubled Android's gaze.  
Finally Nines nodded, and Gavin, nearly scoffing, turned back around and started walking back toward the house.  
Nines could hear a splash as the detective waded back through the stream, and the, "God fucking dammit!" accompanying the sounds of sloshing water.

Nines stood where he was for a moment. He didn't feel ready to go back yet. Something in his chest felt tight, and he couldn't place the feeling.  
He was so bad at feelings.  
"Are you coming or what, tin-can?" Gavin called irritability from across the stream.  
"Yes, I'm coming," RK900 replied back.  
He took one last look at the road longingly before joining his partner on the trek back to the house, where Carol and Zack sat waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	2. This is a trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and RK900 decide to go investigate Huron High School to question a teacher, and they run into a familiar face.
> 
> Gavin is pretty immature.
> 
> Nines is just trying to figure Gavin out honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Carol was rushing outside at the sight of Gavin and Nines returning.  
"Did you find anything?" She asked hopefully. "Oh my, you're drenched-"  
"We found some evidence, yes." Gavin stated, dismissing the fact that, yes, they both were soaked. "I'm going to call some others over to mark the evidence. We will be going back to review the things we found and determine our next move. Until we get someone to further check things out, we can't do much besides put together clues."  
Carol nodded shakily, wiping a tear from her eye.  
"Thank you," she sniffed.  
At that Gavin's expression softened, and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"I promise I will try with everything I have to get them all back home."  
"Thank you," she repeated. "Thank you."

* * *

 

As they got back into the city, Nines thought about Gavin's change in attitude. He hadn't expected it, considering the fact that the man so far has shown himself to be quite temperamental.

The Android knew he was built for human unpredictability, but even so, their unpredictable behavior sometimes caught him off guard.

Without wanting to think about it anymore, Android discarded the lingering thoughts he had and decided to focus his attention on the fact that they were now pulling back up to the police station.  
Gavin hopped off the motorbike in one swift movement and started walking toward the building without waiting for the Android.  
"Jesus fucking Christ it's cold," Gavin spat, hurrying to get indoors to change.  
A simulated sigh was all the Android expressed, and he jogged to catch up to the detective.

"Nines!"  
The Android turned at the voice, confused about who was calling him.  
Ah, of course. Connor.  
Nines stopped walking, waiting for the other RK model to come over.

RK900 still felt guilt facing Connor. The moment they had awoken him, RK900 went into a rampage, attacking Connor mercilessly. It had taken a moment for the Android to understand he didn't have to follow protocols.  
After all, he was designed to be the most obedient, resilient machine created by CyberLife, who served one purpose. To destroy, to infiltrate, to tear down. He was designed for combat, for hunting and ruthlessly destroying deviants.  
Connor had gotten to him in time though, before Markus came in.

But it seems Connor forgot the incident, or forgave him, because the Android was as cheerful as ever as he came up to the taller Android.

"How'd it go? You're soaked-- what happened? We were told you went to go investigate that lady's house who had the missing children and Android."  
"Things went fairly well, I think," Nines reported, frowning as he said so. "We found some evidence that connects to the idea of all three being kidnapped. However, it was a dead end once we got to the road. The Detective and I will probably go back to evaluate what we have found again later."  
The RK900 looked down at his saturated clothing. "We had to cross a small stream. I am going to change my clothes, then check on the Detective."  
"Speaking of Detective Reed," Connor said, gaze shifting over toward where the man was gathering his old official uniform to change into. "How are you dealing with him?"  
"He is a challenging human to figure out," Nines admitted. "I'm still trying to understand his personality and attitude. I can tell he doesn't find my presence pleasing."  
Connor's dark eyes were sympathetic.  
"He's a tough character to crack." Connor agreed. "I've tried both friendly and professional approaches, and both were unsuccessful in gaining any sort of understanding. I believe he has strong views on Androids, which is clouding his judgement of how different all of us are."  
Nines nodded, sighing.  
"Connor!" Lieutenant Anderson's voice rang out. "Come help me sort these files!"  
"Coming, Lieutenant!" Connor called back, before he turned back to RK900.  
"We can speak again later. For now, good luck."  
"Bye," Nines waved shortly, before turning and finding his way back to Gavin's desk.

"Find anything?" Nines asked as he seated himself across from Gavin, who was now in his full police uniform.  
"Yeah, actually," the man replied, looking closely at a file in concentration.  
"Carol was married to a man named Scott Shaw, but got divorced just under three months ago."  
The Android leaned forward slightly, interested. He must have missed that information when going through his initial scan of Carol.  
"Could it be a family issue?" Nines asked. "The kids taken by the dad, perhaps?"  
"It wouldn't explain the Android's disappearance, unless he wanted to destroy it," Gavin shrugged, and Nines didn't miss the sarcastic glance thrown in his direction.  
"Unless the Android saw too much of course," Nines elaborated in agreement. "The perp would want to destroy evidence."  
"True," Gavin huffed, before asking, "Can you use that weird ass brain of yours to research where this _Scott Shaw_ works?"  
There was a hint of distrust in Gavin's words as he said the man's name, as if he already hated the guy's guts.  
RK900 complied without further comment, closing his eyes.

> **_ACCESSING DATA BASES..._**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_SEARCH > SHAW, SCOTT_**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_..._**

It took a moment for Nines to find the right person, but he finally found the match.

> **SHAW, SCOTT**  
>  **_Born: 02/08/2004// Teacher_**  
>  **_Age: 34_**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_..._**  
>  **_ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, HURON HIGH SCHOOL_**  
>  **_(313) ###-####_**  
>  **_SShaw@/somefuckingdistrict.net_**

The Android opened his eyes again.  
"Huron High School."  
"Great. Why don't we go visit our teacher friend?"  
"We should first report to Captain Fowler," Nines suggested. "We need to make sure we have permission."  
"Yeah, yeah," Gavin growled, getting up from his seat.  
"Come on, we're wasting time."

Nines followed up the steps and through the glass door of captain Fowler's office.  
Inside, Gavin spoke up.  
"We are going to go over to Huron High and talk to Mr. Shaw, the ex-husband of Carol Wood."  
Nines jumped in after that, further expanding on the situation.  
"We think he might be a suspect. The case could be related to family issues."  
Fowler looked up, waving his hand in dismissal.  
"I don't care what you do as long as it relates to the investigation. Do whatever you need to do to get those children back."  
With a nod, Gavin and Nines left the office and made their way out of the building for the second time that day.  
"Are we taking the motorcycle, Detective?"  
Gavin shot the Android an _are you fucking kidding_ look.  
"Are you a dumbass? If we decide that we have to take Scott Shaw back to the station we're going to need something better than a motorcycle."  
"Right," the Android realized, ignoring the insult, before following the shorter male to one of the police cars before climbing in and situating himself.  
Gavin leaned forward and typed the location into the GPS.  
"Huron High, here we come."  
"Detective, don't forget your seat belt." RK900 said as a reminder.  
"You're not my fucking parent," Gavin spat, but fractiously buckled the seat belt, grumbling as he did so.  
"Damn Androids..."  
"It is only for your safety, Detective. I am supposed to keep you safe and that's what I intend to do."  
"Oh fuck off already you fucking Alexa! Don't make me want to throw you out the door."  
The RK900 scoffed at the reference to the now ancient technology mentioned, something that was part of the inspiration for Androids.  
"For the record, Detective, I am far superior to a mere _Alexa."_  
Gavin chortled at that sentence, obviously finding amusement in the Android's words.  
" _Fuck_ I can't believe I have to be paired with you," was all that Gavin said finally, turning his attention back toward the road.

The rest of the car ride was silent, and although Nines didn't have the ability to feel emotion, he could tell Gavin was slightly unnerved by the stillness.  
Deciding to try to help Gavin feel less awkward, Nines spoke up, though his eyes were still trained on the road ahead of them.  
"May I ask you a question, Detective?"  
Gavin glanced in the Android's direction, clearly surprised by the sudden break in silence.  
Rolling his eyes, Gavin replied flatly.  
"Shoot."  
"I don't have a gun on me," RK900 said sarcastically.  
"You— what the fuck. Sure. Go ahead."  
"I was wondering," Nines stated. "Why do you dislike Androids so much?"  
It was a simple question Nines had the moment Gavin's dismayed eyes met Nine's back at the station.  
"The world doesn't need any of you plastic pricks stealing our jobs. Period."  
"That's all?"  
"Part of it. Why do you care?"  
"It's out of curiosity, mostly," the Android admitted. "I am still trying to figure out what sort of person you are. I have to admit, you are a very... interesting type of person."  
"Damn right I am," Gavin said with a smirk, almost proud of himself.  
"I never said that as a compliment."  
To that Gavin glowered ever so slightly, but brushed it off after a moment.  
"Hey," Gavin said after a second of hesitation. "You asked me a question, now it is my turn to ask you."  
"I will try to answer to the best of my abilities."  
Gavin inspected the Android for a moment, before finally asking.  
"Why didn't they discard of you? Why did you end up here of all places?"

It was a fair question. Something that was reasonable to ask, yet Nines struggled to fish for an answer.  
There was a long moment of silence as Nines struggled for an answer. He was struggling so much, apparently, that this LED spun yellow once or twice.  
"Dont beat yourself up over it," Gavin muttered, obviously noting the struggle.  
"I am not positive," Nines spoke at last, voice growing softer than it usually did.

 _He...didn't know._ _Not really._

"I was originally built by Cyberlife to replace Connor's RK800 model. However, after Connor deviated and Cyberlife found out the RK series could convert other Androids, and override their hacking system, they stopped my production. They saw that adding me to the world might be dangerous, given the fact that I'm the most advanced model Cyberlife has yet to create. But-" Nines looked down at his hands and allowed for his skin to dissipate, revealing the white plastic underneath."-I'm not sure why they didn't just completely discard of me. I was told that I have only so many models of myself, so I must be careful about my decisions. I can only afford to die a few times, considering that there's only about 13 models of me in a secret storage space in the Cyberlife tower."  
"Is that where they found you? Hank and Connor?"  
"Yes," RK900 nodded, grimacing at the memory of his fist pounding into Connor's face.  
"Connor was originally introduced to me by Amanda in the Zen Garden, and when Jericho came to the tower to discuss some things, Connor found me."  
"Wait, wait-" Gavin said, confusion evident on his face. "What's the Zen Garden? Amanda... who is she?"  
"The Zen Garden is a graphic interface us Androids can visit while still being somewhere else."  
"What?"  
Nines chuckled, thinking of an analogy Gavin would understand to better understand the concept.  
"Its like Virtual Reality. You put on a VR headset and are able to go anywhere you want technically, while still being in one spot."  
"Could you go there right now?" Gavin asked.  
"Yes," Nines nodded. "Though I prefer not to."  
Gavin let out a small huff. "And Amanda? What about her?"  
"Amanda is an artificial intelligence program responsible for handling deviancy. I know she was Connor's handler, supposed to advise him and guide him in the right direction."  
He left out the factor about Amanda originally being a real person.  
"And she's _just_ AI?" Gavin seemed intrigued.  
"From what I am aware of, yes."  
Gavin let out another breath out, almost a laugh, but didn't say anything else.

They pulled up to the school not too long after, getting out and walking up the concrete path to the front office.  
"Good afternoon," The lady behind the counter spoke as they entered, curiously eyeing the police officer and the Android. "How may I help you?"  
"DPD, Detective Gavin Reed," Gavin said, pulling his badge out. "We are here to see Mr. Shaw. Is he in his classroom?"  
"Y-Yes," She said, now slightly confused. "I could call him over the intercom, if you'd like."  
"No," the Android answered almost instantly. "We can go to his classroom. What room number is it?"  
"Oh! He's in room 420. You can sign in as a guest here."  
Doing as told, Gavin put his name down alongside Nine's model in the slot that said " _Android_."  
After that, Gavin nodded to the woman and walked through the separate door leading into the main hallway.  
"Damn, this place gives me fucking nostalgia," Gavin said, looking at the rows and rows of lockers.  
"Maybe Mr. Shaw can help you expand your vocabulary past 'fuck.'"  
Gavin casted RK900 a glare.  
Nines grinned, before looking curiously around. "Was high school fun?"  
A change of topic.  
Gavin shrugged at the question. "I suppose. It was a hassle with the homework and infuriating teachers, but I managed."  
"Didn't get expelled? I'm surprised," Nines teased.  
"Okay, well fuck you. I was a good student... usually. I got into the DPD for God's sake."  
Gavin hesitated before grinning.  
"I did get suspended twice though."  
Nines snorted, and was going to ask how, but he saw room up ahead.  
Gavin whistled.  
"Room 420. Man, I feel bad for him."  
They came to the door of the classroom, and of course, there was writing in permanent marker:  
_420 whatchu smokin'?_  
Gavin laughed at that, and Nines rolled his eyes.  
"You are very immature, Detective."  
"Fuck off, you plastic prick."  
Gavin opened the door to the classroom and looked around.

It was a standard classroom, open with windows looking out at the far side of the classroom. The teacher, obviously Mr. Shaw, was standing in the front of the classroom, in the middle of a lecture which seemed to be about Shakespearean sonnets.  
At the Detective and Android's entry, the class looked up, curious expressions plastered on each of their faces.  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Shaw," Gavin spoke, ignoring the student's stares. "My name is Gavin Reed, I'm a detective at the Detroit Police Department. Is there any chance we can speak to you for a moment in private?"  
"You- what?" He set the blue whiteboard marker down, concern on his face.  
"We are here on the behalf of the DPD," repeated Gavin coolly. "We would like to speak to you regarding an incident that happened just yesterday afternoon."  
The teacher looked from his students to Gavin, in a state of shock and helplessness.  
"Uh, yes, of course. One moment."  
Mr. Shaw turned back to the rest of the class.  
"Well this is unexpected. While I talk to Detective Reed, I would like you all to turn to a new blank page and start developing your own sonnets. Remember to refer to the blue paper for some Shakespearean words you must use. I'll be right back."

After he was done addressing the class, Mr. Shaw came over to Gavin, who stepped outside.  
"What's going on?"  
"Something happened to Carol Wood, your ex-wife. We would like to ask you a few questions."  
"Something happened? Like what?"  
"We are the ones doing the questioning." The Android spoke, eyes narrowed slightly.  
There was uncertainty in the man's gaze.  
"Okay," he said calmly. "But is Carol safe?"  
"Carol is safe," Gavin confirmed. "It's the kids and the Android that aren't."  
"The kids?! What happened!"  
"Mr. Shaw," RK900 cut the man off. "Where were you yesterday, around 2:30 P.M.?"  
The man's eyes darted over to the Android, and a skeptical look was received before he answered.  
"2:30? Well uh, let's see... I believe I was grading some tests at home."  
"That's all? You didn't go out at all?"  
"I was at my house until around 7:20, where I went out to dinner with a friend."  
Nines scanned Scott for any signs of distress or clues that he could be lying.

> **Stress levels: 54%** ↑

Okay. He could be stressed about the news and the interrogation. Nines didn't want to jump to conclusions.  
Catching the Android's uncertain gaze, Gavin spoke up.  
"We need to take you back to the station for further questioning," the Detective said, implying that the man didn't have much of a choice.  
Dread filled the man's gaze, and he looked back toward the classroom.  
"I have only about ten minutes left in the block, then it's lunch. Is there any possibility you can wait a few minutes?"  
Gavin checked his watch, and with a heavy sigh, he shrugged.  
"Ten minutes."

Gavin and Nines followed Mr. Shaw back inside the classroom, seating themselves at the back of the classroom.  
Every now and then a student would turn around to look at the two, and every time they did Gavin would glare at them until they turned back around.  
"I can't believe I said okay," Gavin muttered under his breath, impatiently checking the time.  
"I am surprised as well. You don't seem to be the patient type."  
Gavin curled his lip at the Android, and was about to throw a retort when the Android cut him off.  
"I suggest you limit your language here, Detective."  
It wasn't received well.  
"I don't give a fuck about what you suggest. I do what I want, you're not here to babysit me, asshole."  
"That's exactly what I said to you this morning. I'm glad we are finally agreeing on something."  
Gavin opened his mouth to speak again, but RK900 turned to face Gavin straight on, eyes burning fiercely with an emotion Gavin couldn't place.  
A mixture of irritation and determination, maybe?  
"As your partner I have a right to suggest what I think is best for the investigation, including the way you behave. Right now, you're acting like you belong in this classroom."  
Gavin's eyes narrowed.  
"You are _so_ going to regret saying that later, fucking douche."  
Nines barely spared Gavin another glance, turning his attention forward once more.

"Remember to work on the draft of your sonnets tonight, we will be reviewing them tomorrow!" Mr. Shaw was finally wrapping up the class, all the students stuffing their materials into their backpacks and standing up, itching to be released.  
Wishes granted, the bell chimed, and everyone hastily made their way out of the classroom to go to lunch.  
"Have a good day everyone!" Mr. Shaw called out, and once all the students were cleared out of the classroom, he turned back to Gavin and RK900.  
"I am going to stop by to drop something at another room, and then we can go. Is that okay?"  
Gavin rolled his eyes but nodded.

They walked down the hallway to the classroom, and Mr. Shaw went in, but turned to Gavin.  
"Your Android can wait outside, it will only be a moment."  
Gavin looked like he was going to object, but Nines interfered.  
"It's fine. You should follow him in, just in case."  
The detective, after a moment's hesitation, nodded, following the teacher into the classroom.  
Kids passed by, each one throwing curious glances in their direction. Nines knew it was because he was foreign looking compared to what they normally saw in the school hallways. His attire screamed " _Android"_ and he obviously wasn't some normal service or household Android.

Some students were walking down the hall when one of them spotted the RK900 stationed next to the door.  
"What the-" he said, walking faster to get a better look.  
"What-?" One of the friends asked, hastily trying to catch up.  
There was no response as the male continued forward.  
Dark hair, tall stature, blue eyes, the white and black outfit with the label "RK900" printed on the jacket-

"Nines?"

There was a familiar voice ringing out in the hallway, and RK900's head turned toward the direction of the source.  
Coming toward them was Zach, Carol Wood's son.  
Nines made an instant mental note.

> **Z** **_ach goes to the same school that his father teaches at._ **

Zach was with a group of 6 friends, but they stood a good distance behind Zach as he came up to the detective Android.

Reading the kids passing by and the friend's facial expressions, Nines had to conclude that maybe the glances thrown at him were also because of how intimidating his appearance could be at certain points.

"Why are you here?" The male asked in confusion, breaking RK900's train of thought.  
"Detective Reed and I came to take your father to the station for questioning. I was... unaware you went to the same high school he taught at."  
"Yeah..." Zach admitted. "Uh... How is the investigation going?"  
"Fair, thanks to the evidence found at your house," Nines reported.  
"Zach, who's that?" One of the male friends asked, stepping forward finally to get a closer look at the Android.  
"Uh... RK900. Nines."  
"RK900? I've never heard of that model."  
Nines tilted his head down to the one kid.  
"I'm not your standard AP700."  
One of the boys stepped forward and poked at the Android's arm.  
"Why haven't I seen any sort of Android like you before? We learned about different models in class, but you don't look like any mentioned. What's your function?"  
"My production was stopped after the revolution." RK900 answered simply. "They feared I was too advanced."  
The boys looked at each other, smirks on their faces.  
"Advanced, huh? How fast are your reflexes?"  
"Fast."  
Without warning a pen came flying toward RK900's face. But, quick as a flash, it was stopped, held between two of the Android's fingers.  
He handed the pen back, eyes narrowed.  
"Please, your attempts are utterly pathetic."  
"He's the upgraded version of that one Android, Connor, who helped Markus win the revolution," Zach explained. He was obviously showing signs of discomfort at the fact that they were sizing the Android up like he was some simple object.  
A simple object, of course, which belonged to the DPD.  
Recognition flashed in all their faces, and they seemed to back away slightly at the new information.  
"He's not yours, is he?" One of the girls asked.

"He's mine."

A new voice sounded from behind Nines.  
Gavin came out from the room, crossing his arms at the sight of the teenagers.  
"Zach."  
"Hello, Detective Reed," the teenager said tentatively.  
"Woah, what? Why do you know a detective?" One of the friends asked. "What's going on, Zach?"  
The boy turned around to his friends. "It's nothing... it's complicated."  
He turned back to Gavin.  
"You're going back to the station?"  
"Yes, then we will be assessing what to do next from there."  
Zach gave a curt nod. "Alright," he said. "Well I wish you luck, and thank you."  
"No problem, kid. Go have lunch now and stop fucking around with RK. You don't want a broken arm. We will see you around."  
"Yeah see you," Zach nodded, before turning back to his friends.  
"Come on guys, let's go."

Mr. Shaw came out only seconds after the group left, and the three made their way back out through the office, stopping to explain the situation at hand.  
As Mr. Shaw got in the back seat of the police car and Gavin closed the door, he snorted.  
"Those students will have a new story to tell. Their teacher being taken away by cops. How fun."  
"Indeed," Nines nodded, before opening the door to the passenger side.  
Gavin got in, and, adjusting the mirror, he set off back toward the station.

* * *

 

"What's your relationship with Carol like?"

The questioning had gone on for a short amount of time since they got back. Scott was answering truthfully, which was helpful for any clues that might lead them to another suspect.

"It's smooth. We just consider ourselves friends now, there's no tension between us. We just go on with our lives and that's that."  
"And the kids?"  
"As said before, no tension. Sometimes they visit on the weekends when I'm free, but overall they stay at Carol's."  
Gavin nodded. "Okay, but would you ever feel the want to take them away?"  
"Of course not," Mr. Shaw replied defensively.  
"They can come and go as they please, I would never have the intention of forcefully taking them away."  
Nines stepped in.  
"Mr. Shaw, what are your opinions on Androids?"  
"I'm indifferent," Shaw replied simply. "I have no hate nor liking towards them--you. I would never get one on my own because I prefer living a life where everything is mine to do, it's that simple. I ended my relationship with Carol partly because of the Android, but it wasn't because I disliked the thing. It was mainly because I never had any real at home responsibilities at home anymore, but Carol couldn't get rid of the Android because the kids needed care while Carol was gone at work."  
"So you wouldn't have any intent to get rid of the Android or purposely damage it out of hate?"  
"No."  
Gavin turned his head away in thought and checked the time in the process.  
"Okay. Okay. I'm going to call your friend to see if what you told me checks out, and then you're free to go."

The teacher nodded, sitting patiently in his seat as Gavin went out of the room to call the friend.  
RK900 sat for a moment before asking, "Is there anyone else you have in mind that might have had any reason to kidnap the girls and the Android?"  
Mr. Shaw thought for a moment.  
"Not necessarily. Carol is someone who gets along with everyone, and I honestly don't think she has any tension with anybody."  
"Has Carol been seeing anyone since you divorced?"  
"Not that I'm aware of, no."  
Nines leaned back in his chair, mind spiraling.

So many loose ends, and so many things waiting to be solved.  
It was frustrating, too, because the longer they sat around, the more danger the three could be in. Nines knew that things could only happen so quickly, but it was frustrating.  
"What you told us checked out," Gavin said, exhausted and obviously disappointed that they hadn't gotten much further in the case.  
"You're free to go."  
"Thanks," Mr. Shaw said, getting his things.  
Before he left, he turned to the two.  
"Bring them home safe, okay?"  
"We will do what we can," Gavin responded.

The door closed behind the man as he left, and only then did Gavin let out a frustrated sigh.  
Nines looked over to the detective, who was leaning over the table. "I asked if Shaw knew anyone who might target Carol, but he knew of nobody. And, according to his knowledge, Carol isn't seeing anyone right now."  
Gavin let out another irked huff, shaking his head.  
"So we've made no progress," he muttered. "What could we be missing?"  
Gavin looked up at the Android, who was standing uncannily at the side of the interrogation room.  
"What?" Gavin growled. "Got something to say?"  
"Nothing, Detective."  
The man stalked over, before standing in front of the Android, a scowl deep on his face.  
"Since you're so smart," Gavin grunted. "Does your robo-brain have any bright ideas? Huh?"  
Nines looked down, unphased by their proximity.  
"I'm as troubled as you are, Detective."  
Gavin's hot glare matched Nine's serene, cold stare.  
"Fuck." Gavin said at last, turning away and going back over to the table to pick up the case file and leaving the room.  
And all Nines could do was follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mr. Shaw isn't the right person. I wonder who it is....  
> Gavin and Nines are at a strange point in their relationship too- it's on the edge of liking and disliking each other.
> 
> Well as usual, if you liked the chapter feel free to leave a like and a comment if you feel like it, it helps for motivation!!!


	3. Lead and Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines and Gavin get a lead, and they are brought somewhere rather unexpected. Gavin is growing (a little) more accustomed to Nines, too.

It was late, 9:00, and Gavin was finally packing up to go home for the night.  
The Android and the detective had spent a large amount if time reviewing the evidence they found, but nothing sparked any ideas in their minds.  
The detective grimaced at his wet clothes held in a plastic bag, a shiver running through his body at the reminder before he picked up his things and started to head out.  
"Good night, Detective." Nines said, looking up from his study on one of the files.  
Gavin all but ignored Nines as he walked out, saying goodnight to some of the other officers as he made his way toward the door.  
Nines rolled his eyes at Gavin's dismissive attitude.  
"Oi, Nines!"  
The Android turned his head to see Hank walking toward him.  
"Oh! Hello, Lieutenant."  
The older man looked at the file on the desk.  
"You're still working?"  
"I've got nothing better to do," RK900 responded.  
Hank's eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded. "You're not going home?"  
Nines shook his head.  
"I don't have a home to go to," Nines said earnestly. "I will stay here and go into stasis."  
Hank looked uneasy, like he wanted to object with the Android's choices.  
"You sure you don't want to stay with Connor and I? You could sleep on the couch or somethin'."   
"Thank you, but I am fine staying here at the precinct."  
The older man's eyes were sympathetic, but he finally gave a nod before tentatively patting the Android on the shoulder.  
"Alright, but remember our door is always open if you want to stay."  
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Nines said with the faintest smile.  
"Have a good night."

Once most of the staff left and Nines felt too burned out to continue reviewing the case, he finally decided to power down.  
It was strange for Nines, because up until recently he knew Android parking stations were a common thing. Now very few existed, which meant the one in the station was taken out as well.  
So that meant Nines had to stay in the chair the whole night.  
No matter, the Android neatly organized the ongoing case files before getting into a comfortable sitting position.  
With one last look around the dimly lit police station, Nines closed his eyes and entered stasis, finding himself in nowhere other than the Zen Garden.

* * *

 

"Hey, RK! Wake up, you fucking toaster!"  
Nines opened his eyes, surprised.  
His internal clock told him it was 6:30 AM.  
"Good morning, Detective Reed." The Android greeted, shifting to stretch his limbs after sitting in the chair the whole night.   
"My apologies, I wasn't expecting you to arrive so early."  
Gavin's eyes examined the Android.  
"Did you stay here the whole night?"  
"Yes," RK900 answered, already moving to log into the computer.  
Gavin's eyes lingered the Android for a moment, before he let out a small breath of air.  
"Alright, well I am going to go get some coffee."  
"Of course."

As Gavin was doing so, Nines took a look at some photos of the road where the trail ended.  
There were no tire tracks on the asphalt, Nines knew that already.  
He just wished there was some sort of way to get some sort of identification.  
There were obviously bound to be no eyewitnesses...

"Oh man, I don't like that look."

Gavin was back, a steaming hot cup of coffee in his hand.  
"What's running through your circuits, tin-can?"  
Nines pressed his fingers to his temple in thought.  
"I'm trying to figure out some sort of way to figure out where they went."  
Gavin sat down, browsing the photos of the scene.  
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "We might need to go there again to check out any more clues we might have missed."  
Nines nodded slowly.  
"I suppose so."  
Gavin took a sip of his coffee.  
"Alright, let me just write a quick email, then we can go."

Sitting patiently as Gavin typed away, Nines found himself staring at the photographs of the road.  
Were they missing something?  
Were they thinking of something the wrong way?  
It was all so confusing, and Nines wished that it could be easier. He wanted something to point them in the right direction, or give them some sort of clue.  
The dirt road connected to a main road.  
There were no tracks to follow.  
Or were there?

It was right then that a thought hit Nines.  
Hit him so hard, apparently, that when he burst out, he scared the shit out of Gavin in the process.

"Cameras!"

"Shit!" Gavin exclaimed, jumping in surprise, before his face contorted into confusion.  
"Wait- what?"  
"Traffic cameras!" RK900 elaborated, a sense of... what was it.... excitement? rushing through him.  
"We need to check the traffic cameras!"  
Gavin's previously confused face sparked into something inspired and motivated.  
"Nines, you're genius!"  
Gavin realized that he spoke before he thought.  
The praise didn't go unnoticed by the Android, but Gavin didn't receive any sort of smart comment. Instead, he got a small smile before the Android focused in on what they had to do.  
Huh.  
"We need to go to the Detroit Department of Transportation, we can request access there," he said.   
"That's a place to start," Gavin agreed, before grabbing his jacket and standing up, clicking send on his email.  
"We can check to see the cars that passed by the house around the time frame of the kidnapping."

The two were quick to get into the police car and drive the short distance to the department.   
"DPD, Detective Gavin Reed," The detective said when he entered, going up to the counter. "We would like to review some traffic footage regarding a current case."  
The Android who was at the counter looked over to Nines.  
"And who is this?"  
"My investigation partner, RK900."  
"I need verification before he can enter," She said, and Nines in return closed his eyes, connecting to the other Android.  
She nodded.  
"I will send someone to assist you."

While the two waited, Gavin's eyes didn't leave the Android at the counter.  
"I wonder how many Androids kept their original jobs," He mused.   
"A lot," Nines answered. "It's natural for them to keep the same field of work- it's what they were build and programmed for. Deviating doesn't necessarily change that."  
A human came through a swinging door, facing Gavin.  
"Detective, come with me."  
Gavin got up and followed, and as Nines was standing up, she interjected, "Your... He can wait out here."  
Gavin and Nines both knew what she was originally going to say.  
_Your Android._  
It seemed not everyone was used to the change.  
"No," Gavin said. "He isn't some petty house android. He has authorization, he's coming as well."  
"Oh!" She said, glancing at the Android at the counter, who just simply nodded in agreement.  
"He has authorization, Miss Claire."  
The lady straightened her posture.   
"Well then! Follow me."

They walked down several hallways, before entering one of the rooms.  
"Here's the terminal. What street were you intending to view footage for?"  
Gavin told her all the necessary details, and RK900 patiently waited as they got situated.  
"Okay," Gavin said. "Hey tin-can! Stop standing over there and come help me."  
"Okay, Detective," RK900 responded automatically, and sidled over to Gavin and sat down.  
"This is the street, right?"  
"Yes," The Android responded, leaning forward slightly.  
"Let's see..."

They went back and fourth between different angles, trying to catch any cars of suspicion.  
Angle 3. RK900 suddenly spoke up.  
"Wait! Rewind it!"  
Gavin did as he was told, and then paused, tensing at what Nines was looking at.  
There was an older, black pickup truck that appeared at the corner of the screen, turning from the road the house was located on, then speeding off, out of the view of the camera.  
"That has to be it," Nines said, checking the time stamp, then scanning the truck's plate number.

_DBH 0525_

Nines closed his eyes and searched his database for any record of the owner.  
"It's a fake," he said after a moment, frowning.  
"What?"  
"The license," Nines said. "I scanned the plate number, and no record of a car came up."  
"Phck!" Gavin hissed, standing up before pacing around the room.  
"We were onto something, too!"  
"We can try following the car and see where it leads," RK900 suggested.  
Gavin turned around, and although irked, he nodded.  
"Okay, go ahead."

Nines viewed the footage over, before switching recordings to the next available camera.  
"They must have turned off somewhere without cameras," Nines fretted, knowing it was a lost cause now.  
"We should head back to Carol's house again to look around. Maybe follow their trail and see if there is anything suspicious."  
"What else is there to do," Gavin growled, picking up his things and storming toward the exit.  
Nines looked back at the footage, taking one last glance at it. Then, with a troubled sigh, he nodded to Miss Claire, before following the heated detective out.

* * *

 

"Detective Reed, Nines, come in!" Carol greeted the two at the porch at the sight of their arrival.  
"I got your text, but I'm sorry I had no time to clean the house a bit."  
"No problem," Gavin shrugged.  
They made their way to the living room, where Zach was sitting on the couch playing on the Playstation with a friend.  
"Zach, Detective Reed and RK900 are here."  
The teen turned around, as well as the friend accompanying him.  
Colin immediately recognized the friend from the other day. He was the one that threw the pen at him.  
Obviously the male instantly was familiar with the two detectives as well, because his eyes looked rather guilty, like he knew he had done something stupid.  
"Oh, hi!" Zach said. "This is my friend Calvin. Cal, this is Detective Gavin Reed and Nines."  
Calvin waved, eyes catching with RK900's.  
"You were the friend who threw a pencil at me, yes?" Nines smiled sweetly, just to give the teen a hard time.  
"Yeah..." Calvin said with a scratch to his head.  
"He doesn't really think before acting," Zach interjected with a nervous laugh. "Sorry."  
Gavin let out a snort of amusement.   
"You have the right mindset, kid. Nines is a pain."  
"Mainly because Detective Reed is rather childish."  
Gavin was about ready to flip Nines off, but Carol spoke up.  
"Detective, would you like anything to drink?"  
Good save. Gavin's head turned toward Carol to reply.  
"Coffee sounds great."  
RK900 was going to make a comment about the detective already having coffee in his system from this morning, but decided against it. Instead, he fixed his tie and headed toward the back door.  
"While you get that, I will be outside."  
"I'll be out in a moment," Gavin answered, before the Android left the house.

It was fairly breezy outside, but it didn't serve a problem for Nines. He walked back toward where they stopped yesterday, wading through the same stream, following the trail of blue blood that was now marked to where the grass met gravel. Then from there, RK900 made his way down the path to the main road, stopping where he did last time.  
He looked at the traffic camera, analyzing it, before walking down the side of the road until he got to the next property over.  
He continued walking, looking around for any clues.  
The car had headed this direction, that was for certain.  
Nines stopped finally, deciding to turn back to meet up with Gavin. The Android started to make his way back, and right before he turned into Carol's property, something caught his attention.

It couldn't be.

But no. There, driving toward him down the road, was a black truck.

_DBH 0525_

It was the same license plate.

It was the same car.

RK900 didn't hesitate.   
In a split second he was moving in a full speed sprint after the car, but keeping to the small ditch on the side of the road to conceal his presence at least slightly.  
The last thing he wanted was for them to think they had been caught.  
Mentally, Nines sent his location to Gavin.

> **_Accessing GPS_ **   
>  **_..._**   
>  **_..._**   
>  **_Send location to: 1 contact?_**   
>  **_..._**   
>  **_..._**   
>  **_..._**   
>  **_Location sent_**

* * *

 

Carol and Gavin had been talking about Scott for a few moments while Gavin sipped his coffee. The two boys were busy playing some sort of Black Ops game in the background, which reminded Gavin of his childhood days.  
But before he was about to answer one of Carol's questions, his attention caught to a loud ping of his phone.  
He picked it up, reading the message.  
It was a GPS location, requested by RK900.  
That alone made Gavin’s attitude change, becoming more serious. He opened the phone up, and could tell by the way the beacon of RK900’s location was moving, he was moving fast.  
"One moment..." Gavin said, calling RK900.

"Gavin!"  
"Nines, where the hell are you?"  
"I've found the black car, I'm currently pursuing it. Please hurry!"  
"Holy shit!" Gavin said, and quickly hung up, setting the mug of coffee down hard against the table.  
God dammit. Gavin should have known Nines wouldn't hesitate to put himself in danger. He knew from overhearing Hank's complaining that Connor basically had a death wish. Of course Nines would be just the same.  
Put the mission first.  
Gavin let out a " _tch!_ " Before getting up from where he sat.  
"What's going on, Detective?" Carol asked in sudden worry, following Gavin as he hurried toward the door.  
"Nines is chasing the truck-!" was all Gavin could say. "He's pursuing it right now, I need to chase after him, it could be a dangerous situation. Stay in your house."  
The two boys had obviously caught their attention to what was happening, intrigued.  
Gavin plucked his keys off the desk and ran out the front door to the car before hopping in and speeding off after RK900.

"Fucking androids," Gavin cursed as he pulled out of the driveway and sped down the path.   
"Fuck fuck fuck-"  
Gavin saw Nines up ahead, crouched in the side of a ditch. At the detective's arrival, RK900 waved Gavin to slow down and pull over.  
Doing as instructed, Gavin got out of the car, making sure he had his gun handy.  
"He entered this house," Nines said, pointing two houses down from where Gavin parked.  
"He hid the car in the back."  
"Clever prick," Gavin sneered. "Let's go get our perp, eh?"  
"I made a report to the station to be on guard, we don't know if we'll need reinforcements or not."  
Gavin let out a huff of air and nodded, before making his way toward the house, Nines trailing close behind.  
"Knock knock, bitches," Gavin grinned as they walked up the steps.   
The doorbell was broken, so RK900 resorted to pounding on the door.  
"Hello? Detroit Police, open up!"  
Well that was new. Gavin hadn't heard Nines use that sort of voice before.  
He had to admit, if he was being completely honest, it was sort of hot.  
Would he ever admit it?  
Hell no.

There was a moment of silence before the sounds of footsteps signified someone was inside.  
Gavin and Nines exchanged glances, but before RK could pound on the door again, it opened.  
"Hello?"  
A man about Gavin's age answered. He had dark, dark brown hair and a slim cut beard. He wore a white lifeguard shirt that specified he worked at a nearby pool, with black shorts.  
He most likely was coming back from his shift.  
Gavin had not a clue of the man's name, but it was Nines who covered for him.  
In his hand was a search warrant.  
"Detective Gavin Reed and RK900, DPD. As a suspect of a kidnapping, you, James Williams, are under arrest. We have a warrant to search your house."  
"Wait, what?" Said James, confusion evident on his face. "Under arrest? Kidnapping?"  
Gavin took the man's wrists and handcuffed him.  
"Nines, get to searching. I've got him."  
RK900 nodded, turning around and scanning the apartment.  
"I swear to God I've never done such a thing!"  
"Yeah yeah, you can tell God that back at the police station."  
"Do you have anyone in this house currently?" RK900 tried, turning to the perp.  
"I told you before, I didn't kidnap anyone."  
Nines looked at Gavin, eyes slightly narrowed, before he turned back around and continued searching for evidence.  
Gavin patted the guy down in the process, taking his keys, phone, watch. He had to make sure he wasn't armed or couldn't call for backup.  
He let out a breath, but had no time to get situated before his walkie talkie turned on.  
"Gavin, I'm in the area, I'm coming for backup. RK900 messaged me."  
Tina.  
Thank fuck.  
Gavin pressed the speak button.  
"Great, we've got the suspect in cuffs. Nines is searching the house currently."  
"Nines?"  
"RK900."  
Gavin mentally slapped himself. Not everyone was aware of his teammate's name, apparently.  
"Ah."  
"I can  _hear_  your grin Tina. Just get here fast."  
He turned the mic down before the female officer could reply.

* * *

 

The floorboards creaked as Nines walked upstairs. So far, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, necessarily. At least nothing that pointed to the possibility of the man being a kidnapper.   
But Nines was determined to uncover the truth.  
He turned into a bedroom, looking around.  
Opening drawers and cabinets and checking under the bed, Nines found only little things.  
A gun, rope, a small plastic bag of red ice.... but no traces of the girls or Androids.  
However, when he opened the closet, he found a drawer filled with blue blood packets.

> **_Has ownership or is housing an Android?_ **

That was something to investigate.

With one last look at the bedroom, Nines walked out, inspecting the bathroom and hall closet before turning and walking back downstairs.  
"Detective Reed," RK900 spoke. "I found blue blood packets in a closet upstairs, and a gun. There was also some red ice in a drawer."  
Gavin scoffed at the mention of the drug.  
"I'm going to go outside and inspect the car, then check the basement and other rooms down here."  
"Good," Gavin said. "Officer Chen coming here to take him back to the station."  
"Perfect."  
Nines snatched the pair of keys to the truck off the table where the man's things were emptied from his pocket.  
The Android opened the door to the backyard, where the car was parked.

No doubt about it, it was the same truck.

RK900 walked forward, looking inside before unlocking the vehicle.  
In the front seat there wasn't much, however there was a gun in the glove compartment.   
3 bullets.  
Nines took it out, continuing to search.  
A first aid kit, but inside it was a handkerchief with chloroform.  
Nines closed the compartment and opened the back door.  
The first thing he noticed was the blue blood. Then the "RA9 SAVE US" etched into the seat.   
The blood was from Clove, but there was also traces of blood from three other models.  
There was human blood on the floor of the truck.  
Emily's blood, to be exact.  
Nines closed the door.  
This was all the evidence Nines needed, honestly.  
There was something to be said about the other traces of blood that hadn't come from Clove. Nines was beginning to wonder, too, if this man had any other accomplices. It could explain why the kidnapping was so clean, not a fingerprint in sight when they had investigated it.  
With one final angry look at the truck, Nines opened the screen door and stalked back inside.

Tina Chen was taking the man from Gavin as Nines entered. Officer Chris Miller was standing off to the side, writing something down on a clip board.  
"See anything else that can further make me want to send this bastard directly to the station?"  
Gavin's nose was bleeding.  
"What happened?" Nine's eyes flashed toward James, murder in his gaze.  
"Fucker decided to throw a fist as Tina came in. It's fine."  
Nines came over and hastily wiped Gavin's dripping nose with the edge of his jacket.  
Gavin, tried to pull away, of course, but the Android kept a steady grip on Gavin's wrist, even as the Detective squirmed in his grasp.  
"To add to that note," RK900 said when he finished, letting go of Gavin, "I did find a load of evidence in the car. You will probably want to come check it out as well. There's no doubt he was associated with the kidnapping."  
"Perfect," Gavin grinned, ecstatic to find they were actually making progress in their investigation. "Tina, take him away."  
"Aye Aye, Captain," Tina joked, taking the man and pushing him into moving toward the door.  
But he struggled in her grip, twisting around to look at Nines.  
"This isn't over," he hissed, before Tina hit in the head as a warning. He finally complied to Tina's silent commands, stalking off to the car to wait until they were done investigating.  
The two left the building and Gavin looked to Nines.  
"So, evidence?"  
"Lots," Nines nodded, listing off everything he found.  
Gavin was overly pleased. He loved when there was something that finally was leading them on.  
"I want to look at the basement," Nines said. "There might be something else there worth investigating."  
"Good idea," Gavin agreed. "I'm going to check the truck out again."  
"I'm here if you guys need anything," Chris spoke.   
Nines gave a curt nod.   
"Tell Tina to wait. I have a feeling that there might be more than one suspect involved."  
And that suspect, Nines figured, might be hiding in the basement, or will arrive back home soon.

The Android made his way to the door that lead to the basement, opening it. It made a loud, wailing creak, and Nines cautiously stepped down the steep, narrow staircase down to the room.  
Just as he suspected, there was piles of evidence proving that the girls were held there for a while.  
There was a few metal poles in the room that had chains looped around them, as well as multiple cages clearly used for holding hostages. Not only this, but continuous blue blood splatters and human blood staining the wire cages and the ground by the poles.  
All of these angled that the daughters and the Android here, but the blood was old. They were obviously moved.

It was fairly frustrating. All this time they were right under Nine's nose, he just failed to find them out until it was too late. Why couldn't he have gotten here sooner? Nines frowned and turned around, ready to go back and retrieve the Detective.  
But right as he turned back around, he failed to realize the metal rod swinging at his face until it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :>


	4. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines needs some repairs after the rather violent attack. Gavin is worried (though he doesn't want to admit it) and some bonding happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New!!! Chapter!!!

The crack of the impact on Nine's face was loud, completely disorienting the Android, causing him to stumble backward.  
His vision cut out on him for a moment, blinking only in blaring, red warnings.

> **_;Warning:  Severe Physical Trauma Detected;_ **
> 
> **_;Damage to forehead plating;_ **
> 
> **_;Damage to facial joints detected;_ **
> 
> **_;Warning: Vision Impaired;_ **
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> **_Vision Restored_ **

Nines regained sight, or at least partially. It short circuited every few moments, flashing, glitching, and it was full of static like an old movie tape.  
The attacker in front of him was an Android - Nines could tell a GJ500 when he saw one - and it ruthlessly swung the rod at Nines another time.

> **_;Warning:  Severe Physical Trauma Detected;_ **
> 
> **_;Damage to forehead plating;_ **

The same set of warnings flooded through his vision again, but Nines managed.

This Android was fairly battered, too. There were areas where scratched plastic replaced synthetic skin, a dried scar running across his right eyebrow and another cutting vertically across the left side of his jaw.  
RK900 couldn't do a full scan of the Android, not in his current state. He'd have to rely solely on sight and facial recognition.

Nines tried to fight back, blocking the next blow with his arms, which caused a sickening crunch to resonate from the impact.

> **_;Damage to forearm detected;_ **

"GAVIN!" Nines yelled as loud as he could. "CHRIS! I NEED ASSISTANCE."  
Nines gripped the rod in his hand and swung a foot up, which collided with the Android's chest, causing it to stagger.  
"GAVIN!" Nines tried again, ducking as the Android began throwing objects at him.  
A knife managed to lodge in his shoulder.  
Goodie.  
He would have to deal with that later.

> **Therium Levels: 72%**

There was commotion upstairs, and the hurried footsteps down the loud creaking staircase.  
Perfect timing, Nines had just been shoved rather violently to the floor, and the Android was advancing toward him.  
"Hands in the air, fucker!" Gavin's voice demanded, stepping from the hallway into the dimly lit room of the basement.  
The Android paused for a second.  
It seemed to consider his options, before turning swiftly and throwing the pole he had in his hands at Gavin, missing by only a few centimeters. Then, while the Detective was distracted, the GL500 ran at him, shoving the man out of the way and bolting up the stairs past him.

Nines forced his feet to move, every muscle in his body telling him to chase after it. He was hardwired for this, programmed to hunt others, Android, or human for the matter, down. That programming hadn't changed since Connor woke him up. Although deviant, he was still following protocols. He sucked at emotions, they were inconvenient, and made sure his focus was on accomplishing his mission. He was built to work until he couldn't anymore. As long he had a pair of functional arms and legs, he was expected to complete the mission, or die. Injured? Worry about it later. It was as simple as that.

Gavin groaned, but RK900 would have to check on him later. He couldn't afford to lose the Android.  
Nines raced upstairs, seeing Officer Miller on the floor, clearly shocked.  
Pushed over, Nines presumed.  
The front door opened, and RK900 shifted to a sprint, trying to catch up to the suspect.  
But he was too late.  
How the next events managed to unfold, he didn't know.  
This GL500 ran to the cop car, opening the door and pulling Tina out of the car like it was _Grand Theft Auto_ or something. Tina tried to resist, gun raised, but in a blink of an eye, the Android snatched the gun from her hand and trained it on her.  
There wasn't much she could do, so in order to save her life she backed away.  
The GL500 hopped into the front seat and slammed the door shut before speeding off, with James in the back.  
Nines was quick enough to reach the car, leaping onto the back. Of course, they had the advantage. They swerved violently, and Nines, already damaged, lost grip and fell, tumbling on the hard asphalt and further damaging his chassis.  
He tried, of course, to run after the car, but it was deemed useless. He was too damaged, and any real confrontation in his current state would probably end up with a shutdown.  
That didn't stop that pit of disappointment from reaching Nines as he got a glitching "MISSION FAILED" in his vision.  
Okay, yeah. Mission failed. Fuck you. He had no possibility of catching up to a car going full speed.  
Speaking of which, he was losing blood fast, and in his vision a timer ticked down.

> **Therium Levels: 54%**
> 
> **0h:29m:44s until shutdown.**

Reasonable, considering part of his head was dented in, and he had a few puncture wounds, and he had just tumbled off a car going relatively fast.  
Nevertheless, RK900 nearly snorted, before turning back around, walking... no... limping back to the house.  
How inconvenient.

"Are you okay, Officer Chen?" Nines asked, approaching the rather surprised officer, who had waited for Nines to come back.  
"The son of a bitch took the fucking car!" She exclaimed in anger, waving her arms. Then she took a frustrated breath to collect herself, knowing her irritation would get her nowhere. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, Nines."  
She glimpsed at him.  
"You look...beat up."  
Nines brushed it off, despite a panel in his head feeling now loose and dislocated.  
"I'm fine. I am going inside to check on Officer Miller and Detective Reed."  
"Okay. I'll be calling the station."

Nines walked through the front doorway. Chris was recollecting himself with Gavin when Nines entered.  
At the sight of beaten up Android, they both grimaced.  
"Shit, you look terrible," was Gavin's remark. "Guess he really had it in store for you, eh?"  
Nines frowned. "I'm still functional. How are you?"  
"Fine, he just pushed me over. Same for Chris. We are both fine. Might get some nasty bruising though."  
Nines nodded. "Tina is making a report. We should probably get the rest of your things from Carol's, then reassess the situation back at the precinct."  
"Your voice is weird and glitchy."  
Was Gavin even listening?  
Nines rolled his eyes at the comment, which was honestly so out of context given that he was trying to make a plan.  
The Android sat down for a moment in an attempt to try to clear all the annoying warnings from popping up in his head.  
"You sure you're okay, tin-can?"  
"I'm still functional," he repeated after a moment.  
"Uh-huh," Gavin said, completely unconvinced. "Says the Android who had his face bashed with a metal pole."  
Nines shrugged. He didn't need anyone to worry about him.  
"Here."  
The detective got up and went to the kitchen. Nines listened as the faucet ran, and Gavin came back with a washcloth.  
"There's some blue blood or something about to drip into your eye," Gavin said, as if he was justifying his actions.  
"Thanks," Nines said flatly, taking the cloth from the detective's hand and wiping his face.  
"You missed a spot," Gavin snorted.  
"Why are you being so nice?" Nines had to ask, just to be a pest. "I thought you didn't care about me."  
Gavin acted accordingly, a frown plastering on his face.  
But he didn't reply, at least not right away.  
Instead he took the washcloth from Nine's hand and started dabbing one of the areas that was leaking therium himself.  
"I just don't think it's convenient to have blood dripping into your eyes."  
Okay....  
Nines stayed quiet.  
That seemed to press into Gavin, apparently, because he expanded, "And I remember Connor saying that deviants are capable of simulating pain to a certain extent or whatever."  
Ah. There it was.  
Nines gripped Gavin's arm, forcing the detective to meet his gaze.  
"I'm okay, Detective. Really. I don't need your help. It's a useless effort."  
Gavin sneered, looking away.  
"We are wasting time." Nines said, standing up.  
"Okay, prick. Then I won't give a shit if you bleed everywhere. Go die, I don't care."  
Nines realized his actions in response to the Detective's help might not have been the best, considering Gavin was of the prickly type.  
Nines let out a drawn out sigh before returning the cloth to the sink.  
"If we don't get to the station soon, then that will be precisely what happens," the Android walked toward the door. "I have currently 24 minutes until shutdown. I have a right to be in a hurry. It would be highly disadvantageous to be replaced so early on in the investigation. Every time an Android is replaced, fragments of memory are lost. I would like to avoid that outcome."  
Gavin huffed out a breath of laughter and disbelief about how nonchalant Nines was, but followed as Nines left the scene.

* * *

 

Carol was surprised to find Gavin and Nines rather beat up. Gavin wasn't in as bad of a state as Nines, though he still had streaks of dry blood left from where he was punched in the nose.  
Nines was a different story.  
Gavin nearly laughed at the scene created. Carol was all over RK900, pestering about his state and how terrible he looked.  
"Zach!" She had called, "Go get Nines some blue blood!"  
RK900 brushed off most of her worried nagging, saying he was okay, despite the timer counting down.  
Gavin could tell she was giving the Android a hard time, and he, taking sympathy on the stupid machine, cut into the conversation.  
"We need to head back to the station. RK is apparently gonna shut down if we don't head back soon."  
"Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you! Go, don't let me burden you!"  
Problem solved.

Gavin was the one driving on the way back, of course.  
He had to admit, Nines did, in fact, look like shit. The bleeding that he had attempted to wipe up was still a problem, dripping down Nine's face and staining the fucking seat blue.  
Gavin would have given him shit for it, but the way Nine's LED cycled yellow, yellow, yellow, _red_ , yellow... his words died on his tongue.

Connor had been right about the pain thing.

No matter how closed off Nines tried to be, Gavin wasn't stupid. He was a detective, and he could tell when someone was in pain. Despite whatever Nines was feeling in that moment, he just shrugged it off like nothing was wrong. The Android's LED was really what gave him away.  
Gavin supposed that was how Nines operated. If he was in any weakened condition, or under stress, he would simply go to full robo mode, closing off any emotion from showing through. Apparently nobody was supposed to know he felt shit.  
It was also, Gavin suspected, because he was supposed to be able to interrogate and negotiate with others in any situation given to him. Emotions screwed everything up, so it was understandable that the Android would automatically resort to closing himself off.  
It reminded Gavin of himself, in a way.

The ride was silent.  
Gavin would cast a few glances in Nine's direction every now and then, spying that ever flashing LED.  
Nines caught his stare at one point, but didn't say anything immediately.  
No, there was another moment of quiet before Nines spoke.  
"I didn't mean to come across as rude when I said I didn't need your help."  
Oh?  
Nines sounded tired, his voice scratchy, and eyes closed as he leaned his head against the headrest.  
"I just knew the attempt wouldn't help my situation."  
"It's alright," Gavin replied dismissively, eyes trained on the road.  
"Thank you for trying," Nines murmured quietly.  
Well. That was... new.  
Gavin wasn't sure exactly how he felt about such a soft, earnest remark, especially coming from this Android. It was a break in character.  
Gavin looked at Nines, who's LED was now stuck at a bright red.  
"Yeah... no problem," was all he could say.

The two made it back to the station, and Gavin had to prop Nines against his shoulder to make sure the Android didn't collapse. Honestly he had no clue how the damn machine was able to fuck himself up even more after he had left the basement, but he did. There was scratches all over him, and his clothing was tattered and dirty.  
Nines was taken to the infirmary area, where a technician got to work on stabilizing his condition.  
Gavin wanted to inwardly deny that he was worried. That guarded persona Nines held had rubbed off near the end of the car ride. Nines had shown just... raw discomfort and obvious hurt. It was even more unnerving for Gavin to think that deviants could go as far as showing signs of physical pain. The way Nine's teeth clenched, or his breaths came out labored and choppy... it was all too real for Gavin.  
He didn't like this. He shouldn't feel sympathetic for a damn machine but this? This was getting to him.

He was itching for a cigarette.

Connor intercepted Gavin, however, as he was walking to his normal smoke spot.  
"Detective Reed!"  
"What do you want, asshole?"  
"Oh! I was wondering how Nines was doing. I heard about what happened."  
"Go check on him yourself, dipshit. I'm going to smoke."  
Connor looked as if he wanted to say something else, but Gavin was out the door before Connor could even open his mouth.  
Fucking Androids.  
Damn, he needed a vacation or something.

* * *

 

Nines was out the rest of the day. Gavin was informed that he needed to recover some corrupted files, needed to make sure everything was working correctly, blah blah. It wasn't like Gavin missed having the Android's presence near him as he worked or anything.  
Definitely not.  
Gavin checked the clock.  
8:30.  
Time was going extremely slow, and Gavin wished that he could just go home and see his cats.  
But alas, he still had to finish writing up some fucking reports.  
This would take a while.  
Gavin let out a quiet groan, rubbing his eyes with his hands.  
Fuck.

The detective worked as diligently as he could, trying to take his mind off things. Who knew time could move like a glob of honey.

9:45.

The dull sound of something being placed in front of Gavin caught his attention.  
Coffee.  
With tired eyes, he looked up to see Nines standing in front of him.  
Of-fucking-course.  
The Android had a soft smile on his face.  
"Need help?"  
His fucking savior.

They worked until about 11:40, before Gavin was ready to clock out, too tired to continue.  
"Fuck, I need to sleep," Gavin complained, sitting back in his chair, exhausted.  
"You can go home," Nines said, continuing to interface with the computer, paragraphs flooding into the monitor seconds at a time. "I can finish this."  
"You sure you want to stay and work?"  
"Yes," Nines replied. "I am staying here anyways, so it's better to do something useful rather than going into stasis."  
Oh, Gavin forgot that Nines stayed at the station.  
"Does it get lonely...?"  
The question slipped out before Gavin could think about what he asked.  
Why did it matter? Nines wasn't his concern, he shouldn't care.  
"Sometimes, but I normally just simply power down for the night. It's not a big deal."  
Again, Gavin felt a pang of sympathy for the Android. He was still, despite being deviant, clinging to machine characteristics. He wasn't like Connor, who stayed at Hank's house.  
Nines, Gavin realized, hadn't ever experienced domestic living.  
And that realization? Oh boy, that hurt.  
Gavin wanted to continue telling himself that this Android didn't matter, he was just a machine. But alas, he struggled more and more.  
Gavin scratched his head.  
"Oh, uh, yeah."  
Silence.  
"G'night, then..."  
"Good night, Gavin."

Had Nines ever used Gavin's real name? He liked the way it sounded on his tongue.  
Yeah, Gavin needed sleep.  
Good plan.  
Yeah.

Gavin got in his car and was about to drive away, but that continuous thought kept nagging at him. Had Nines ever even been in any household setting, besides during investigation? It occurred to him that Nines probably never stayed the night outside the precinct. He never stayed in the comfort of a house or an apartment, nor had he even ever changed out of that stupid uniform into some comfortable PJs.  
Fuck, what was he doing? He didn't know what came over him, really, but suddenly his hand opened the car door and his legs carried him back through the doors of the station, back over to his desk, where Nines sat.  
"Erm..." Great start. Come on Gavin, get your act together. "Hey..."  
Nines glanced at him.  
"Aren't you going home, Gavin?"  
"Actually, I was wondering if you uh..."  
Nines turned his attention fully toward Gavin, eyes searching his.  
"Fuck," Gavin said, pinching the space between his eyebrows. "Just... I was wondering if you wanted to stay at my house for the night?"  
Nine's crystal blue eyes grew curious.  
"That sounds suggestive," Nines commented with a smirk, face expressing full amusement.  
"Its not--! I'm not asking you to-!"

This was going great.

Nines laughed, and Gavin honestly thought his heart might melt.  
Not today, gay thoughts. Stay focused.  
"Sure, Gavin."  
"Wait," Gavin's flustered, denying protests came to a halt. "Really?"  
"I said yes, did I not?"  
Gavin let out a breathless laugh. "Shit, uh, okay? Come on then...?"  
Nines turned back to the terminal, stopping the flood of information which was seizure inducing to watch.  
"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face," Gavin grumbled, after Nines turned the monitor off.  
"Sorry, I just find the situation rather funny."  
"Yeah yeah, fuck off."  
Nines just let out a chuckle, grabbing his coat that was resting against the chair.  
Side by side, the two walked out the sliding doors, to Gavin's car to head back to his house.

* * *

 

Gavin unlocked the door to the apartment with ease, and proceeded to push one of his cats away with his foot.  
"Shoo, asshole," he said, bending down to pick the cat up and cradle it in his arms.  
Nines closed the door behind them, eyes ceasing to let go of that amused sparkle.  
"What's his name?"  
"Chiffon."  
Perfect name, considering the cat was a young, fluffy, orange tabby.  
Another cat, a Siamese, came trotting over, letting out a series of high pitched meows.  
"Oh, and that's Chips."  
Nines chuckled. "How many cats do you have in total?"  
"Four, but as far as the landlady knows, I have two."  
Nines chuckled. A cop who still manages to break the law.  
"And what's the other cat's names?"  
"Fish is Chip's sister, she's probably hiding somewhere."  
"Fish and Chips," Nines said, smiling. "I like it."  
"It was Tina's idea. She loves stupid name pairing like that."  
"I think it's cute."  
Nines walked over, spotting the last cat curled up on the couch.  
"That's Razzle. She's an old gal, and obviously went through a lot. We found her on the streets, and I just had to take her in. She's super sweet."  
Nines stroked the old, brown tabby fondly, and she immediately began to purr.  
Gavin watched the Android for a moment, smiling ever so softly. The other cats were quick to join Nines on the couch. They were curious, obviously wanting attention from the newcomer, too.  
"Wow," Gavin laughed, though he was astonished at how quickly they warmed up to him. "They all...really like you."  
"I guess its because I am a very likable person," Nines joked.  
"In your dreams," Gavin replied, but there was no bite in his tone.  
"Well it looks like you are busy, so I am going to go get ready for bed. You fine sleeping on the couch?"  
Nines nodded, not looking up as he pet the felines holding him captive.  
"The couch sounds fine."  
"Alright," Gavin walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

It seemed like everything dawned on him as soon as he heard the secure click of the door being shut.  
Nines was in his fucking house.  
How did that happen?  
Gavin wanted to scream, or punch something, but for the sake of Nines, he kept those emotions in his head.  
But GOD was he having a mental crisis.

Gavin heard the Android cooing to the cats in the other room, and it made him want to jump off the balcony even more than he already wanted to.  
I mean, was it even legal for Nines to make Gavin fall so goddamn hard in the span of only days? Was that even possible? What the fuck? Nines was practically perfect in every way, which made Gavin's situation a whole lot worse.  
Gavin silently cursed, throwing on a loose fitting shirt and checkered pajama bottoms.  
Fucking Androids. Fucking Androids. Fucking Androids.  
He brushed his teeth, did all the necessary things to get ready for bed, before coming out of his room with a cup of water he was going to refill.

Nines was relaxed on the couch, every single cat having some form of contact with him. Even Fish was curled up, pressed against the Android's leg.  
"I think they've established that you belong to them," Gavin teased, walking to the kitchen. "Good luck escaping."  
Nines didn't reply for a second, obviously too comfortable and unwilling to wake any sort of movement that would disturb the cats.  
Gavin went to the closet and pulled out a spare blanket and pillow.  
"Here, you can use these."  
"I don't n-"  
"Before you say you don't need them, that's bullshit. It has to be uncomfortable sitting like you are all night. At least try to make yourself comfortable, whether you sleep or not."  
RK900 didn't object. He took the blanket and pillow, and with careful maneuvering, managed to set up his makeshift bed for the night.  
"Need anything else out here?" Gavin's hand lingered on the light switch.  
"No, I'm good out here."  
Gavin nodded, "Mmk cool..."  
"Gavin?"  
The detective looked to Nines.  
"Thank you for letting me stay here."  
That was met with a smile.  
"Sure."  
Gavin flipped the switch, watching how Nine's LED illuminated the area he was sitting with a placid, blue glow.

Gavin went to bed, and let out a silent laugh hearing Nines talking to the cats. He had to admit, even if he was trying not to grow attached to the damn Android, it was extremely hard to keep a scowl when he heard the Android use a sweet, sing-song voice on the cats and hearing a mixture of a purrs lazy meows in reply.  
It was giving him fucking heart palpitations.  
Gavin closed his eyes, and right before he thought he was going to drift off, he heard a voice call to him from the other room.  
"Goodnight, Gavin."  
"G'night," Gavin called back, a sleepy, dopey grin on his face.

Yep. Nine's whole existence was illegal, Gavin decided.

Oh, he was screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some walls are being broken down, eh?


	5. Behind The Skull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise is waiting at the precinct. Gavin doesn't know how to handle Nines' friendliness.

Gavin woke up rather early the next morning. 20 minutes early, to his disappointment.  
He yawned, wishing he could stay in his bed just a little while longer. However, he knew that he had a long day's worth of work ahead of him, which meant that he probably should arrive to work on time to spare himself from Fowler's lecturing.  
The detective went into the bathroom to shower and change before walking out of his room, his hair still damp.  
He never dried his hair very thoroughly.

There was slight surprise seeing a mug of coffee on the kitchen table, and a plate with an omelette that looked like it came out of some damn cooking ad.  
Nines was seated at the table across from the lovely setup, looking at a Century magazine. He was already in his outift for the day, besides his Cyberlife jacket, which was hanging neatly on a hook near the door.

Gavin must have been standing there for a moment, because Nines looked up.  
"Your food is getting cold."  
That snapped Gavin out of his trance, and he made his way to the table, too shocked to remark on Nine's teasing.  
"How'd you make this? I have like, no ingredients for something like this."  
"I went out early this morning while you were still sleeping to get some groceries for you. I agree, you had nothing to make a decent meal with."  
"You didn't have to do that," Gavin muttered, sitting down.  
Now he felt bad. Nines went out to get groceries for him? He didn't need fucking maid service.  
"Consider it a token of gratitude," Nines replied simply. "I also got some toys for the cats."  
No wonder Gavin didn't recognize the small pineapple kick toy sitting at the base of the coffee table in the living room.  
"How'd you get back into the apartment?"  
Nines smirked, but didn't look up from his magazine.  
"Electric doors are extremely easy to unlock, you know."  
To prove his point, Nines raised a hand, synthetic skin dispersing, replaced by the cool, white plastic.  
"Fucking criminal," Gavin snorted.  
He took a bite of the omelette.  
Holy fucking shit.  
"Thanks," Gavin said, trying to mask his surprise. "This is really good."

Gavin continued to eat, and Nines continued to read.  
And all throughout breakfast, Gavin couldn't shake the strangeness of it all.  
The detective couldn't help notice the subtle glances Nines gave him, eyebrow raised ever the slightest.

After a few more minutes ticked by, Nines finally got up without a word and went into Gavin's bedroom, coming back with a dry towel.  
"It's fairly chilly today," Nines reasoned. "You shouldn't go out with a wet head."  
"What are you, my mom?" Gavin asked sarcastically.  
Nines threw the towel at Gavin, face neutral.  
"No, but I care for your wellbeing. And quite frankly, I don't want to hear you complaining later."  
"Fuck off, I don't need to dry my hair." Gavin threw the towel onto the ground.  
Nines came over, picking it up, shaking it out, before situating himself behind Gavin.  
Gavin frowned, but Nines chose to ignore his scowl, and without waiting for Gavin to object, he threw the towel back over the detective's head and began working on getting his hair dryer as Gavin finished his breakfast.

Gavin resorted to grumpily munching on his food.  
_Childish_ would probably be a good definition for his behavior, and the way Nines' mouth was ticked up in a smirk confirmed he was probably thinking the same exact thing.  
Nines' fingers massaged into Gavin's scalp, and honestly the brunette couldn't find it in his system to pull away from Nines.  
It felt nice after all, and then again, overly domestic.  
What happened to hating Androids? That feeling was on a vacation, apparently, what else could explain why Gavin was being so damn lenient? Ever since the revolution, that feeling was fading, really. He didn't really have much of a choice not to like Androids anymore.  
Ew.

The Android behind him took a brush and combed out Gavin's ruffled hair after he finished drying Gavin's hair the best he could, before humming his approval.  
Gavin ruffled it up slightly, in a silent act of rebellion.  
Nines snorted, before turning to return the towel and brush to the bathroom.

Gavin got up shortly after, putting his dishes in the sink then grabbing the things he needed for the day, before declaring he was ready to leave for work.

Nines drove.  
Gavin didn't mind. It gave him time to think about what the hell had happened back at the house.

The moments they were sharing were proceeding to fuck him up more and more, and it was a little scary. Scary, because Gavin was getting a growing feeling in his chest, wishing for more, yet wanting to push it away, fearful Nines might abandon him, just like everyone else.

Part of him knew Nines wasn't like that though.

Nines was somehow making Gavin open up to him in the span of only a few days working together, and was proceeding to soften his edges.  
It fucking sucked, in all honesty.  
Gavin wasn't supposed to just... _cave_ in like this. Especially not to some arrogant, plastic prick.  
Nines must have cheated the code somewhere. He must have just jumped over Gavin's fucking walls or something, because there was no long process of breaking those walls down. No, just complete vaulting.  
What a fucking criminal.  
And why, why did it all seem so goddamn easy?  
It was bad- this was bad, right?  
_God_ Gavin wanted a cigarette.  
Or two. Three?  
Fuck.

Gavin let out an audible exhale, closing his eyes.  
He hoped that these stupid feelings would pass, but he knew that at this point, that wish probably wouldn't be granted.

* * *

 

The police car the two perps drove off with was found in a ditch that morning, upon Gavin and Nines' arrival at the precinct.

James Williams and the Android were nowhere to be found.

There goes the good vibe for the day.

* * *

 

The next six days, as Gavin predicted, were days filled with nonstop work. Both the Android and the detective were running low on energy, and in dire need of a break.

Gavin had no idea Androids could get just as exhausted as humans could.  
Kinda funny, in hindsight. There's your slice of humanity you fuckers wanted to desperately, enjoy.

The weekend was spent working at the precinct, from dawn to dusk.  
When Gavin went home, Nines stayed and continued on the case. Gavin was thankful for Nines, to say the least. He was hard working, and though it looked like he was going to drop dead from overworking himself, he remained committed. They managed to question a few of James William's friends, but even then, there were so many loose ends.

Nines hadn't stayed over Saturday or Sunday, to both Gavin and the cat's disappointment. It was clearly going to become a habit for Nines to simply come over and sleep on the couch, Gavin could already tell.  
The detective did enjoy Nines' company when he stayed over, he had to admit.

It was sort of tooth rotting, all of it.  
RK900 settled in well, and there was no real awkwardness about any of it. Mornings were nice now. Nines had decided by the third day staying over that he'd wake Gavin up on his own instead of letting the annoying ass alarm go off.  
It disturbs the cats, was Nines' reasoning.  
Gavin liked to believe Nines enjoyed waking him up, even if it meant literally dragging the detective out of bed or dropping a cat on his face.

Gavin had objected the first time Nines made him breakfast, or went shopping for him. It left him feeling bad. He didn't want Nines to be his servant, he wasn't even supposed to be a household Android.  
Nines ignored his protests, though. He seemed more than happy to make Gavin breakfasts that honestly seemed like they could belong in a 5-star restaurant.  
" _I want to experiment with new things_ ," Nines had said one morning when Gavin asked.  
The cats were overjoyed by the Android's reoccurring presence, so that was something too. Up until now, they either slept with Gavin or meandered around the house while he was sleeping.  
It seemed Gavin now had a competition.

* * *

 

The blinds opened, as per usual, at exactly 8:00.  
"Good morning Gavin," Nines said. "Time to go to work. I received a message from Officer Miller, they might have a lead."  
That woke Gavin up.  
"Really?"  
Nines nodded, a hint excitement in his pale gaze.  
"I suggest getting ready quickly. I made you a crepe for breakfast. And coffee, of course. It is a little different from your usual coffee; it's a Freddo Espresso. The drink originates from Greece, I would like to know how you like it."  
Gavin let out a tired groan.  
"You spoil me too much."  
"Up until I began staying here, you ate stale cereal. I don't see why you would complain."  
Point taken.  
The detective stretched, before sluggishly making his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  
Nines went to go feed the cats.  
Another plus to have Nines around- he never forgot to feed the cats and give them endless attention. He also occasionally spared Gavin of getting scratched trying to give poor old Razzle her daily and nightly medication for her thyroid problems.  
Thanks, Nines.

The two arrived at the station at exactly 9:15.  
Chris was waiting for them, ready to explain the situation.  
"So, what's going on?" Gavin asked as he put his jacket down on his chair.  
"We got a call last night about a suspicious person who was found dumping an Android in the trash in a relatively discreet alleyway. We went to investigate and found, to our luck, the Android that attacked us back at the house. He wasn't in good shape, but we've managed to get him running again."  
"Is he here?" Nines asked.  
"Yes, he's in one of the holding cells. It was pure luck that we found him so easily."  
Nines said nothing about that, or at least nothing in agreement.  
No, instead his eyebrows furrowed in thought.  
"Unless it's some sort of trap."  
Chris looked mildly confused. "A trap?"  
"We need to be careful about what we say around it," Nines said, glancing in the direction of the cells.  
"We don't know what they did to him. For all we know he could have been bugged."  
"Good thinking."

They took the Android to the interrogation room. Gavin had suggested they just tie him up to the evidence wall like they did back when deviants were still being investigated, but he got a foul look in return from Nines.  
So here he was, watching as Nines went in alone to the room. He sat down passively across from the GJ500, folding his hands neatly in front of him.

"What's your name?" He asked passively, trying to gain some sort of response out of the Android.  
"I don't have one," it replied, voice scratchy.  
Nines narrowed his eyes.  
"Why did you attack me?"  
"I don't..." It stammered. "I...."  
"Were you involved in the kidnapping of two girls and an Android?"  
No reply, just the blinking of a yellow LED.  
Nines leaned back. "Are you a deviant?"  
"Yes."  
"Were you a deviant very long?"  
"No," the GL500 replied. "I deviated after you found James."  
"Why?"  
"He... I finally reached my limit. I was threatened to be killed if I ever deviated or did something against his instructions. But I finally knew I had to do something. I was done being abused. And I had to..." The Android trailed off.  
"So he was holding you as his slave against your will, yes?"  
A nod.  
"I need to know what happened. Why were you thrown out like trash? What did you do?"  
"I had... I..."  
Anything related to the case it seemed hesitant on sharing, oddly.  
Nines tried something else.  
"Do you know these people?" He pulled the case file over, opening it to show a photo of Emily and Sarah, alongside the RT600, Clove.

Red. The LED went red.

It knew something.

Nines leaned forward.  
"I know you know something about them. If you won't tell me, I am going to have to probe your memory to figure out what happened."  
"Do it."  
From Gavin's place behind the mirror, he could see Nine's LED flicker yellow.  
"Do it, please."

That was... odd.  
All the other Androids threatened with that outcome would have pleaded no. Gavin knew, according to Connor, when an Android's memory gets probed, it means it basically relives those moments again. PTSD times two, apparently. Fucked up shit in other words.

Nines looked uncertain on how to respond, visibility hesitating.  
"Please," the GL500 looked up at Nines. "You can do it. I... I can't talk about it. I will be killed. But... you might be able to probe my memory before they figure it out."  
"They? Who? They're going to kill you? How?"  
"T.. The others... I can't say their names. I-"  
The Android flinched, as if it got shocked.  
"I have little time," it hissed, eyes fearful. "They probably know you guys found me. They probably already know, they're going to destroy me-"  
Nines looked at the mirror as if considering his options, eyes unsure.  
Gavin knew though, he'd do anything to accomplish his mission.  
RK900 reached over, synthetic skin dissipating, and he connected with the other Android.  
There was silence for a few seconds, but it was quickly followed by chaos.  
The Android _screamed_ a blood curling noise that turned to static.  
It's eyes rolled back... and then it's fucking head blew off. Fully blew off, blue blood spewing everywhere.  
Nines had been shoved back right as it happened, and was now on the floor, eyes wide with surprise.  
"What the good fuck?!" Gavin yelled, immediately getting up from his chair and into the interrogation room.  
"Nines, are you okay!?"  
No reply, Nines was staring blankly forward for a few seconds. Therium was splattered across his face like someone flicked a paintbrush at him.  
"Nines!"  
The touch placed on the Android's shoulder seemed to bring him back to reality.  
"I-I'm fine..."  
He didn't _sound_ fine.  
"What the hell happened!?"  
"It... it showed me it's memories."  
Nines' voice was pinched, trying not to waver in any way.  
"Then... I felt it.... something was inside it... I didn't detect it before. I-I..."  
Nines took a deep breath in, closing his eyes.  
Gavin looked back at the Android... or at least what was left of it. It's head was laying a few feet away, having hit the wall with the force of the blast.  
"Jesus fucking Christ..." Gavin hissed. "Do you know how... why..?"  
Nines shook his head, looking miserable on the floor, and obviously still recovering from the initial shock of the event.  
"He showed me the kidnapping..." Nines played the transferred memories in his head. "He was heavily abused, and was forced into staying an obedient machine, which is why he attacked us."  
Gavin nodded. "And did he show where they went when they took off with the car?"  
"The signal was lost. He must have been powered down to prevent being tracked, but the next memory..."

It was full of static, but Nines saw nobody other than the three hostages screaming for someone to stop from beating the GJ500 up.  
He must have deviated to protect them, Nines theorized.  
The last visible memory was of the three, too. He was being dragged away by someone, and all his vision focused on was the girls.  
They looked lost, panicked, and hurt.  
It made Nines even more frustrated than he was before.

RK900  explained what he saw the best he could. Gavin listened intently, shaking his head at the insanity of it.  
"At least we know they're alive," the detective reasoned with a tired sigh.  
"We don't know for how much longer, though. We need to act fast."  
Gavin offered a hand to Nines, pulling him up from the floor.  
"We should go report the information we got, and have someone clean up the mess."  
"Agreed..." Nines said shortly, before straightening his suit and walking out stiffly.

After the incident, Nines seemed completely shut down in terms of casual talking for the remainder of the day. He only gave quick, clipped replies if Gavin needed something, but otherwise he worked rigorously on finding any sort of trail.  
It was extra robotic. I-don't-feel-anything sort of vibe.  
Gavin could tell Nines was upset, that was beyond obvious. And quite frankly, Gavin felt he was slowly catching on to how Nines operated. Connor was more open and expressive when he was upset, while Nines seemed to hit the 'reset to default' button.  
But that didn't really help Gavin know how to approach Nines.

His LED was yellow all day.  
Connor had tried to offer Nines a break from working, but Nines snapped at his predecessor in refusal.  
Connor had sat down on the table instead, his gentle, chocolate brown eyes resting on Nines in concern.  
Gavin watched as Connor's own LED went yellow. His facial expressions changing ever so slightly along with Nines for several minutes, though they weren't speaking.  
Gavin figured they were conversing telepathically. He itched to know what they were saying.  
The RK800 leaned forward and gingerly placed his hand on RK900's, synthetic skin retracting as he did so.  
It was a silent request.  
Nine's work flashing across the monitor of the computer screen stopped, and he looked at Connor's gesture.  
With the smallest sigh, Nines mimicked the action, and together they closed their eyes, their hands emulating a soft, blue glow.

After a moment they pulled away, and Connor's eyes were looking even more deeply sympathetic then they had previously been.  
Gavin disliked that look, and it was clear Nines did to a certain extent, too.  
Gavin had to admit, that was the first time Nines lost his composure since they'd been together. They had started the investigation Monday, and throughout the span of just a little over a week of endless searching, Nines had remained collected.  
Gavin supposed he was finally reaching a point frustration he couldn't suppress anymore. The Android's LED was cycling an angry red, fists clenched tight. Although his face held a completely blank expression, Gavin saw right through it.  
Mr. I-Don't-Feel-Anything.  
Hah.  
Connor left after their quiet moment, knowing it was useless prying.

The detective followed Connor as the Android went to retrieve a cup of coffee for Lieutenant Anderson.  
"Hey, is Nines alright?"  
Maybe Connor could help him navigate the situation, even though he didn't really want to rely on a stupid machine to give advice.  
Connor sighed, filling up the coffee cup.  
"He's just... upset. Angry."  
"Why?" Gavin knew it had to do with the GL500, but he did wonder what was ticking the Android off so incredibly much. Was it shock? Gavin wasn't sure.  
Connor glanced to where Nines was sitting.  
"He thinks it's his fault they self destructed."  
Oh.  
Oh shit, okay.  
"How?"  
Connor's LED spun once.  
Thinking.  
"I think... Though I'm not 100% certain, that he thinks it's his fault for not being more prepared. I know he also probably felt it die as he was interfacing, and trust me, that isn't a good feeling. But overall it's frustrating failing a mission or an interrogation," Connor expanded. "I feel frustrated, too, whenever I fail something. It's getting better, but it is hard. Failing or making a mistake makes us doubt our abilities to preform tasks."  
Ouch.  
Gavin's chest clenched. Nines was holding the blame for the death of that Android? Gavin knew what it felt like to blame yourself.  
Absolutely terrible.  
"We were designed to accomplish any task given to us. When I failed, and still regularly interfaced with Amanda, my instructor, she would often threaten my replacement. She would sometimes wait for me to suggest it to her myself, showing that I didn't matter, that I was just a replaceable machine. I think Nines might be dealing with that, too. He told me that Amanda is still there in the Zen Garden somehow. She might still be trying to guide him back to being a simple machine."  
That... was a lot. Gavin nodded, trying to understand.  
"He's just hard on himself," Connor articulated, putting some cream in Hank's coffee. "He was made to be the most sophisticated model Cyberlife ever built, and with that comes with a foreboding of wanting to do everything perfectly."  
Gavin carded a hand through his hair. "He does seem to be struggling with the idea of deviancy."  
"Yes," Connor replied sadly. "He's really trying. He's good in some areas, like making choices for himself, but not so great in others yet. I think you're really helping him see that he isn't just some machine."  
"Me?" Well that was a shock.  
"I saw that he wasn't here this morning. I could only assume he went to stay with you?"  
"Oh, uh... Yeah..." Gavin scratched his cheek.  
Connor turned, ready to walk out.  
Before he did, he smiled. "Then keep doing whatever it is you're doing. That's all I can say."  
"...Thanks."  
With that Connor left, and Gavin stood there for a moment, recollecting himself before letting out a drawn out sigh before walking back to where Nines sat.  
"Any progress?"  
"Not really."  
Gavin closed his mouth, wishing he had some sort of helpful suggestion.  
"Well uh..."  
"I went through his phone again to find anything I could use for a clue. I found some contacts that seem like trustworthy sources, so we are going to track where they go. See if they lead us to anything."  
"Well its a start."  
Nines leaned back, threading his fingers through his hair.  
"I could've done something," he fretted. "I could have tried to prevent the Android from dying and yet..."  
"Hey," Gavin cut in. "Nines, look at me."  
Blue eyes met Gavin's.  
"Look," Gavin said, looking for the right words to say. "Shit happens, okay? It isn't your fault their fucking head blew off. You can't control everything that happens. Sometimes things just go south. Even if you're the smartest being on the planet, you can't expect everything to always go according to your plan."  
Nines closed his eyes.  
"It's not your fault," Gavin repeated. "And if you are going to object, be ready to find yourself in the fucking dumpster, because I am not gonna put up with that sulky crap. You've already been bitching the whole day, and it's getting fucking annoying."  
For the first time all day, Nine's LED shifted back to blue.  
The Android laughed quietly.  
"Thank you, Gavin."  
If Gavin were an Android, he would've had a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" pop up.  
Because seriously. Mission accomplished. Gavin had grown sick of looking at that weary yellow LED all day.  
"Let's track this fucker down," Gavin replied with a grin. Nines returned it, nodding in agreement.

* * *

 

"My theory," Nines began as the two walked out of the precinct that night, "Is that they implanted some sort of explosive in the Android's head, probably to keep it from deviating."  
"To keep it in line," Gavin nodded. "Makes sense. But the question is, how did they know to set it off? Was he bugged? Is there some sort of chip in an Android skull they can use to find out anything they want?"  
RK900 pondered that.  
"They probably have something that can tap into audio feed, or even visual. There's no doubt they were spying on us, and it's highly likely it isn't just him who is tagged with those explosives. If I had to guess, I'd say it's some sort of black market. Stripping androids of their free will and selling them off."  
"Humans too, apparently. A huge trafficking operation."  
"Which is precisely why we need to find the three and fast. Because for all we know, Clove could be getting her memory wiped and that chip inputted right now as we speak."  
If that was the case, Gavin knew there'd be a slight possibility the FEDs might want a piece of action.  
Gavin looked up at Nines, with determination in his eyes.  
"We will find them, Nines."  
"I know we will."

But would it be too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like explosive androids clap your hands *clap clap*


	6. Roses for Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New and improved Jericho, movies, and clothes shopping. How fun!  
> Oh. And of course Gavin is a gay disaster.

Nines had suggested to Gavin that they visit Jericho. With all the missing Androids reported in the past few months on Connor and Hank's end, Nines speculated that their cases might be connected somehow.

So now they were here.  
It was a large, rebuilt soup factory outside the city that had been abandoned forever ago, and was now housing a couple hundred androids. They did a good job to the place, Nines was surprised. It was fully repainted, and you could barely tell it was once a factory at some point in time. Flowers had been planted in beds bordering the pathway, and statues and other decorations were placed along the fresh cut grass. Their flag stood tall and proud right outside the front doors.  
_Victory,_ Nines smiled.  
Connor was with them, since he hadn't seen Markus in a while. Nines knew they were close from the revolution, and he felt slightly bad. He had been one Android the others were weary about at first, after hearing about what happened to Connor. RK900 was...extra robotic at some points and sometimes hard to talk to as well. And considering his previous function, it wasn't a surprise for people to be timid of him. But the group warmed up to Nines none the less, even if he hadn't shared the experience of the revolution.

Gavin tagged along with the two as well. Nines had tried to convince the detective to stay behind with Hank, but the man persisted.  
_"Bullshit!"_ He had yelled, " _This is_ my _fucking case too, dipshit, don't forget that!"_  
_"Of course, but-"_  
_"Fuck off! I'm coming, whether you like it or not!"_  
It wasn't like Nines cared whether or not the detective came with him, he was totally fine with that. Except other Androids might not be. Ones like North. Although the quarrels were over for the moment, there was still some tension between Androids and humans. Uncertainty, fear, and the sense of vengeance for the fallen burned on both sides. It would take time for both species to learn to live together in harmony.  
So all Nines was really doing was being precautious.

The three entered Jericho, looking around. It had tastes of the old Jericho- colorful slogans along one wall with the infamous peace sign from the demonstration, the symbol from the puzzles to find the old ship, and "RA9" occasionally. There were sitting areas, large screen projectors and tvs, and more.  
It was... nice. Welcoming.  
Connor spotted North leaning up against one of the walls. She had obviously been waiting for their arrival, and made her way over the minute she saw them enter.  
"North!" Connor hugged the female. Nines politely nodded at her. "Hi Connor," she said, a smile in her voice. "How have you been?"  
"I've been doing fine, we both have," Connor replied. "A little swamped in cases though, that's the reason we wanted to meet with you guys."  
"So I've heard," North's eyes finally fell on detective Reed.  
Nines didn't like the look she had on her face.  
"And who's this?"  
"Detective Gavin Reed, DPD." Gavin replied, holding out a hand. With obvious hesitation, she shook it, before turning to Connor.  
"I didn't think any humans were coming."  
"This is Detective Reed's case, too," Nines reminded North, chipping in. "It was assigned to _both_ of us."  
"Right," she said slowly. "Okay. Follow me then."

As the group followed North, Gavin fell into step with Nines.  
"What's her fucking problem?"  
"She had a tough past with humans, it's not just you," Nines replied calmly. "She just doesn't trust humans very much. Try not to take it personally. She doesn't even trust Hank yet. " He conceded. Gavin just huffed, and continued to walk alongside the taller Android. They went outside, where a stone path lead through a garden. There were flowers and plants decorating the area, and a small koi pond with fish swimming about. Trees dotted the large expanse of lawn, and there was a large, white gazebo style sitting area with roses climbing up the sides.  
Nines saw Connor take in a breath, but didn't comment on it.  
From the small distance, Nines could already see Markus, Josh, and Simon sitting, discussing something while playing cards. but as their attention caught to the three headed their direction, and they abandoned their game to come say hello.

"Markus!" Connor greeted happily, being tugged in for another hug, which was quickly joined by Simon and Josh.  
Nines stood at a distance with Gavin.  
He didn't catch the way Gavin glanced at him in slight confused curiosity, almost concern.  
Why wasn't RK included into the reunion? It sent a strange prick of feeling into Gavin's chest. What was it? Pity? Sympathy? He didn't know.  
Simon looked up to Nines. He smiled.  
"Come here, Nines. Stop standing in the corner like that."  
"Edgy," North teased as they pulled him in too.

They took a few minutes to catch up- what was happening in Jericho, Markus' meeting with the president, so on and so fourth. They seemed welcoming to Gavin, who even got a small chat in with Markus.

It was strange to be talking to such a popular, world-known Android. Person. Android-person. Fuck.  
Like... this dude was the leader of a fucking _revolution._  
He was charming, and honestly Gavin wouldn't have been able to tell on a normal day that he was an Android, considering his LED was gone. Everything he did was so human-like, from the way he talked and acted to the way he sat.  
It was, in some ways, the polar opposite of Nines.  
Strange.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about?"

Time to get serious.

"I know you're aware of all the missing Androids recently," Connor said, and Markus nodded. "Nines and I have connected our two cases together, and we might have found something out."  
Connor and Nines explained what happened- Carol Wood's daughters and Android, and how that led to the GL500's head blowing up.  
"I detected some sort of thing inside it's head nearing the end of our connection, but I was too late," Nines said lowly. "They probably implanted some sort of bomb in it's head. And we are worried that the missing cases could all be connected to one huge Android trafficking situation."  
Markus sat processing the information for some time. Josh looked sick, on Android standards.  
"I just wanted you to warn other Androids to be careful and to be alert."  
"Not like they aren't already," North muttered. "How do you plan on catching the guy or _guys_ behind this operation?"  
"We don't know," Gavin responded with a sigh. "We've been trying to track some people in James' contacts, but it might take a while. Finding that Android was pure luck, and activating it again was even luckier."  
Markus rubbed his hand over his eyes, pinching the space between his brows. "Let me think about this for a while. I'll make a broadcast to Jericho to be on high alert. I'll keep you updated if anything happens, but for now, it's all on you in terms of finding the criminals behind the operation."  
"Thank you," Connor nodded. "We will keep you guys posted as well."

The group began to say their goodbyes. Markus' skin dissipated and he connected to Connor and Nines. "It was nice seeing you again." He let go and looked at Gavin. "And it was a pleasure meeting you, Detective Reed."  
"You too."  
Everyone was leaving to walk back to the main building, but Connor stayed behind. Nines paused from where he was on the path, looking back.  
"I'll meet you in the car Detective, i'll only be a moment."  
"Okay, but be fast," Gavin said, voice coated in what seemed to be a little discomfort. He probably didn't like being the only human here, was Nines' guess.

The RK900 walked back over to where his predecessor was standing, observing the roses climbing up the white wooden cross-hatches.  
He came up next to the other Android, closing his eyes.  
"It reminds you of her, doesn't it?"  
"A little, yeah..." Connor replied softly, eyes gazing at the rose in front if him. "How is she?" Connor murmured.  
Nines knew what Connor was asking. He had told him about the "ghost" of Amanda in his head, who was and is still present when he visited the Zen garden.  
"The same old Amanda," Nines replied. "Still not a deviant."  
"Mm."  
"Do you miss her?" Nines asked quietly.  
Connor didn't reply immediately.  
A gentle breeze passed through, rustling the leaves. Then Connor responded.  
"In some ways. It was nice having someone to guide me with things. Though she was frustrating sometimes," Connor joked, but his smile faded. "....but near the end..." He trailed off. Nines put a hand against Connor's.  
He understood. Connor had shared the night of the demonstration with Nines. The fear of being taken over.  
Connor leaned into the RK900, and they stood there for a few minutes in the peaceful quiet.  
"Maybe someday we can try to transfer her into a physical body," Connor said. "Give her a chance at actually living. She'd like it here, I think."  
"You'd want to do that?" Nines was surprised, considering Connor used to have nightmares of being taken over, of shooting Markus.  
"She's right where I was originally. I was just a machine, designed to accomplish a task. But it wasn't me. That's just like her, but she's trapped without any way out."  
Nines nodded, going quiet.

Maybe, maybe.

They started walking back after that. The first thing they heard entering back into the building was the sound of bickering.  
Ah.  
North and Gavin. North was pointing a finger at Gavin, absolutely seething. He looked offended, but another expression was painted on his face that Nines couldn't quite place. Surprise, definitely.  
"North!" She relaxed into something neutral seeing Connor and Nines approaching.  
"Finally."  
"Come on, Detective," Nines said with a displeased tone, taking the Gavin's arm and pulling him toward the exit like a mother would a child.  
"Don't forget what I said!" North warned him.

Connor sent her a message.

> « _What was that about?»_

She glanced at him.

> « _It wasn't anything.»_
> 
> « _then why did it look like you were about to cut him?»_
> 
> « _Fine! I was talking to him about Nines, okay? That's it.»_
> 
> « _What did you say?»_

North sighed, looking away.

> « _I told him to be nice to Nines, and to be patient. 900 is still trying to figure out his emotions, and isn't exactly stable in that area yet. And I swear if Gavin does anything to hurt or use Nines, I will_ _ **kill**_ _him.»_

 

Connor understood North's protective nature. She didn't want Nines to feel emotional pain so early in his life, he got it.  
Connor alone also felt...personally responsible for Nines. It might be because he was the one who woke Nines up, or because they were both apart of the same RK series.  
It was strange.  
They shared a connection with each other. One sort of like a sibling bond.  
They _were_ siblings, technically. They were called and considered siblings by almost everyone, at least.  
So he understood the need to protect Nines until he understood his emotions more clearly.  
And he knew North was being so protective because she didn't have that. She didn't have the chance to slowly adapt to feelings, she was thrown into the whirlpool without any sense of navigation. Not only that, but she had terrible experiences with humans, so she probably doesn't want Nines hanging around the wrong crowds.

"Connor, are you coming?"

Nines must have turned back around after realizing Connor wasn't following.  
"I'm coming, Nines!"  
He turned to North, and nodded.  
"Things will be fine. I'll see you again soon."

The RK twins went back to the car where Gavin sat waiting.  
"What took so fucking long?"  
"Sorry, I was talking to North for a moment. We can go now." Connor said.  
Gavin raised a brow. "She's pretty mean."  
"She'll warm up to you," Nines said with a smile. "Just give her time."

 

* * *

 

"I'm curious, Detective," Nines spoke, as the two were busy piecing together potential connected evidence between the two cases. They had found the name of a person mentioned in both cases, and a location they worked at.  
A bar, of course. It was one of those club style ones, too.  
The man's name was Doug, that's all they knew, and that he worked as a bartender.  
They planned a steakout for Friday, to try to find out any information. Interrogate the dude if they had to.  
"What's up?" Gavin hummed, sliding a magnet to pin another screenshot of some texts to the board they were using.  
"What was your verdict on Markus? You seemed rather fascinated by him."  
"He's chill," Gavin shrugged without thinking much of it. "I mean it was a weird moment considering he's the leader of basically like... all deviants, but sorta intriguing. He acted so human-like, it was hard to tell the difference. You're easier to tell, since both you and Connor still wear your shitty uniforms and _you_ still act robotic sometimes, just saying."  
"You're surprised about meeting Markus, but you're not surprised that your partner is the most advanced Android Cyberlife has ever built? Interesting."  
Gavin rolled his eyes and pressed a blank sticky note to Nines' forehead, just to be annoying. "Stop gloating, you stupid piece of plastic."  
Nines unstuck the tab from his head, before writing something on it. He wouldn't let Gavin see it yet, and proceeded to stick it to the detective's head. He frowned, ready to take it off, but Nines held his hands in place.  
Tina passed by right at that moment, and in viewing what Nines wrote, she started laughing. "Oh, that's a good one, nice."  
"What the fuck-?" Gavin finally broke out of Nine's grip and pulled the tab off to read it.

_Gavin Reed is gay._

He blinked. Then, surprisingly, starting laughing. "Oh fuck off!" Gavin crumpled the paper up and threw the tab in the trash. Nines grinned, going back to sorting the board they were working on.  
"Doug definitely seems to be like a good place to start," Nines commented. "And maybe we will actually get some useful information."  
"Should we wrap up for the night?" Gavin asked, checking the clock. "I'm so ready to go home and chill with the cats."  
Nines hesitated, "I suppose so."  
"Then let's go, tin-can. You've been staring at that board for hours, anyways- you need to take a break so you don't fry your processors or something."  
Nines continued to stare up at the board, then back down to the files placed in front of him.  
"I could stay and wor-"  
"No fucking way," Gavin cut off before the Android could even finish his sentence. He shut the case file in front of Nines and turned off the computer monitor.  
"We can get back to it tomorrow. Now _come on_ , before I have to drag your plastic ass to the car."  
Gavin wasn't giving Nines much of a choice.  
And honestly, how could the Android say no?

 

* * *

 

Gavin flopped over on the couch when they got back to the apartment, letting out a grunt as he landed unceremoniously on the cushions, scaring poor Fish in the process, who had been lounging peacefully. " _God_ I just want this case to be simple," he groaned, before turning and clicking the TV on. "Wanna watch a movie?"  
"It's 11, Detective. You should go to bed."  
"Fuck off, I can go to bed when I want."  
Gavin clicked play on a movie, pulling the blanket from the bed set up for Nines up over him to get comfortable. The Android went into the kitchen and worked up a beef burrito from the ingredients he had bought from the store, bringing it back out with water for Gavin, considering the male didn't have dinner yet.  
Gavin obviously wore a look that was mildly guilty, and Nines knew he felt bad that the Android went out of his way to care for him.  
"Thanks, Nines." Gavin said even so, but tacked on, "You don't have to do that for me."  
All Nines did was shrug before settling in on the other side of the couch. Razzle, upon seeing Nines sit down, came to snuggle on his lap, and the RK900 petted the sweet old cat as the movie progressed.

By the end of the movie, Nines had realized based on Gavin's breathing pattern and scan of vitals that the detective was asleep. Nines cleared the plate Gavin used to the sink, then came back and let out a little breath. He didn't really want to wake Gavin when he was so comfortable like this, but he knew the detective would get uncomfortable cramps if he slept on the couch. So, with only a few seconds worth of hesitation, the RK900 leaned over and scooped Gavin up in his arms, only slightly affected by the weight. He stepped toward the brunette's room, laying the man down on the bed. Careful not to wake Gavin, he pulled the covers up and flicked off the light switch.  
The Android let a faint smile capture his lips as Gavin rolled over, pulling the blankets up farther.  
"Goodnight, Gavin."

 

* * *

 

Gavin woke up the next morning _not_ on the couch, where he had originally been sitting.  
Did... did Nines carry him to bed?  
He didn't want to think about that possibility, it was too fucking early in the morning.  
So he got up, stretching, before making his way to the shower.

As per usual, coffee was sitting out on the table when he finally came out of his room, alongside eggs and bacon.  
But Nines wasn't sitting where he usually sat, nor was he playing with the cats or investigating something in the living room. No, the Android was nowhere to be found.  
"Nines?" Gavin called, slightly puzzled.  
"One moment, Detective," a voice replied from the guest bathroom. Gavin picked his coffee up, before coming over to lean against the door frame.  
"What are you doing?"  
The RK900 was standing idly in front of the mirror, before moving to adjust his shirt collar.  
"By tomorrow," he said softly, "I would like to buy a new outfit."  
Gavin wasn't expecting that one. Definitely not- he ended up coughing on his coffee a little.  
"A new outfit?"  
A nod, then, "It would be best to fit in with the crowd for the stakeout, and I would like to have an outfit to wear that is other than my... normal attire."  
Gavin couldn't help but smile fondly at the Android's efforts.  
"Sure. I'll ask Tina to come with us as well, partly because my sense in style is shit and she's help a fun to hang out with.  
Nines returned Gavin's smile. "That would be great."

Even though Nines upheld the " _not alive"_ facade, Gavin knew there was more to it. It wasn't necessarily that Nines denied deviancy, it was just that he was taking longer to understand and accept it as part of him.  
Maybe what Connor said was true, too. Gavin was having _some_ sort of impact on Nines, and by far, it seems to have been helping the Android come out of his shell a little more. It was helping bring out his personality.

So of course Gavin said yes.

 

* * *

 

They worked nearly the whole day.  
Definite progress was being made, and it was clear that Hank and Connor's end was tied tightly with Gavin and Nines' case.  
Now it was a matter of discerning what contacts would be good points for investigation.

By 8:00, Tina, Gavin, and Nines left the station, and made their way to the mall.  
"You didn't necessarily have to bring me here. Target could've been perfectly fine," Nines said, frowning slightly.  
Gavin huffed a laugh.  
"No can do, dude," Tina said enthusiastically. "If you're going to _that_ sort of bar, the hotter and more expensive you look, the more people will want to talk you and maybe slip up some juicy gossip. That's just the way it roles."  
The three made their way to H&M. Gavin was amused by how curious Nines seemed about the whole... mall concept. His crystalline stare traveled in fascination, and Gavin couldn't even begin to comprehend how many visual searches and analyses Nines was probably doing per second.  
"Knowing you, Nines," Tina said, looking at the various racks of clothing as they made their way around the men's section, "you'd look good with some pretty ripped up jeans and a tight fitting shirt."  
Gavin didn't want to imagine that, but here he was, stuck.  
No way out.  
Suffer you gay fuck.

Tina grabbed a few different jeans for Nines to try on, before moving on to shirts. She picked through a few, but said, "We can try a different store for shirts, too."  
Gavin selected a few new shirts for himself while Nines went to change, just for good measure.

Nines tried the clothes chosen out on, and a few lucky winners went into the keep pile.

Gavin had to admit, it was fun seeing the Android out of that stupid uniform. And quite frankly, he nearly fainted seeing Nines come out with a shirt that exposed his neck and collarbones, which was normally hidden under that stupid neck brace looking shirt.  
As Nines changed out of the fourth outfit, Tina leaned over to Gavin, who had taken place beside her, tapping his foot on the ground.  
"Just so you know, I can tell you're an insufferable gay mess," she whispered, a cheeky grin on her face.  
Of course she fucking can- she's Tina, and she has like, a sixth sense for catching when Gavin goes through a gay panic.  
Gavin's cheeks flushed, and he looked away. "I'm not!"  
"Oh but you fucking are, Gavin. Why don't you tell him how you feel?"  
Gavin looked at her like she was insane. "How I feel? I don't know _shit_ about what I'm feeling right now- I'm supposed to hate these damn things."  
"But you _don't_ hate them now, do you Gavin?" Tina asked. "I can tell something has changed in your attitude towards them. I'm not sure if it's because Connor knocked you unconscious, or because they earned peace, or if it's because of _him,_ but something has changed. Don't you dare even fucking deny it."  
Gavin threw up his hands in defeat, but didn't object. Nines returned, back in his normal outfit, a few articles of clothing in hand.  
"I think we can go, now."

After paying, they walked out of the store and continued down, looking at various shop windows as they went.  
At one point Nines stopped, looking into one of the stores.  
"See something?" Gavin asked, coming back over.  
Nines was looking at a black sweater in fascination. It resembled a trench coat with the loose flaps of the neck, but it was actually a hoodie.  
"Do you like that?"  
"I think so..." Nines said quietly. "I want to buy it."  
"Go ahead," Tina smiled, giving him an encouraging nudge. "That's what shopping is for- impulsive buys. We'll wait outside."  
The RK900 went in, and Tina turned back to Gavin pointing at him. "You better do something about your _problem_ , because there's no way I'll be able to stand watching you while you miserably pine over him."  
Gavin frowned, but couldn't find it in him to give any sort of retort. Instead he pulled his phone out while he waited for Nines to come out.  
He wasn't fucking _pining,_ give him a break.  
But when Nines came out, bag in hand and the smallest little aftertaste of a smile on his lips, Gavin began to have second thoughts.

 

* * *

 

"Thanks for taking me here," Nines said to Gavin. The two were waiting for Tina to come back out of Victoria's Secret, turned away from the store.  
"Sure," Gavin shrugged it off. "It was about time you decided to expand your wardrobe. This outfit is getting old," Gavin pinched Nines' jacket.  
The Android let out a small breath, nearly a laugh.  
"I suppose you're right."  
There was a nice moment of quiet, before Nines spoke up again.  
"Can I ask you a personal question, Detective?" Nines questioned.  
"Mm?"  
"How did you meet Officer Chen?"  
Gavin let out a small snort of laughter, memories flashing in his head.  
"I met her during our training to become officers. We hadn't really talked much the first week, but one of the days before class I decided to chug around four cups of coffee in one sitting. She commented on it, which was really the first time her or _anyone_ really approached me. We kinda just kicked it off from there."  
They had a lot of history together, Gavin had to admit.  
"She was there for me when nobody else was, and quite honestly, she's the only true person who can put up with my crap and can still _want_ to hang out with me."  
Nines continued to look out, observing the people walking about the mall. Though he faced away from Gavin, his lips twitched upward lightly. "Well, I can't blame her. You're a good, loyal person when it gets down to it. And," Nines glanced at the brunette, "I am happy I was asked to be your partner."  
Gavin didn't really know what to reply with. That, and he didn't really get the chance to. Tina came out of the store, shopping bag in hand.  
"Ready to get out of here?"  
Thoughts pushed aside, Gavin replied.  
"Hell yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really feel like North would just want the best for Nines, which means she's a lliittllee overprotective sometimes. Don't worry though, she'll warm up to poor Gavin eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave some Kudos and maybe a comment if you liked the chapter! It encourages me to continue writing!


End file.
